


The Edge of Reality

by wayward_winter_soldier



Series: My Name is Cisco Ramon and I am a Human Being [1]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Branding, Bruce Wayne doesn't listen, Bruce Wayne is Bad at Communicating, Canon Divergence, Cisco Ramon Has Feelings, Cisco Ramon Needs A Hug, Cisco Ramon Whump, Cisco Ramon is Not Okay, Cisco Ramon is Vibe, Cisco Ramon is a nerd, Cisco Ramon's Pop Culture References in Times of Crisis, Cisco and Hartley have a bonding moment, Damian Wayne is a Little Shit, Dante Ramon is an Okay Brother, Dehumanization, Dick Grayson is a Good Person, Electroconvulsive Therapy, Government Experimentation, Hartley Rathaway is Actually Nice, Hartmon if you squint, Headaches & Migraines, Human Experimentation, Hurt Cisco Ramon, I just keep adding DC characters to make myself feel better, Jason Todd Has No Chill, Jason Todd Has a Heart, Kidnapped Cisco Ramon, Many Geneva Conventions Violated, Medical Experimentation, Non-Consensual Body Modification, Non-Consensual Bondage, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Tim Drake is baby, Tortured Cisco Ramon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:09:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 25,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27599383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wayward_winter_soldier/pseuds/wayward_winter_soldier
Summary: Cisco Ramon is kidnapped by General Eiling as he wants to find a way to weaponize Vibe's powers
Series: My Name is Cisco Ramon and I am a Human Being [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2063283
Comments: 38
Kudos: 36





	1. Cisco Ramon's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Headache

**Author's Note:**

> There is not enough hurt/comfort Cisco Ramon fanfiction out there so here I am, making more when I should be working on my ongoing projects that I haven't updated in at least a month. Oh well, sorry about your crew, but as we say on Earth, c'est la vie.
> 
> Also, probably short chapters cause you all should know by now I can't write long chapters to save my life.

> “We cross our bridges when we come to them and burn them behind us, with nothing to show for our progress except a memory of the smell of smoke, and a presumption that once our eyes watered.”
> 
> - _Tom Stoppard, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead_

* * *

It started as it always did; with a headache. Cisco Ramon was no stranger to headaches, ever since he received his metahuman powers. However, just because they came often did not mean he was any better at managing them. It seemed that even Naproxin wasn't strong enough to combat the pain that spread about his head. He was only a few bad days away from asking Caitlin for some prescription painkillers, though he really didn't want to do that. He loved his friends and all, but they could turn very mother hen-like when one of their own was hurt, and Cisco wasn't in the mood to answer the many questions that would come his way or the excessive helicoptering that was sure to follow. Besides, it was about midnight and he was the only one at S.T.A.R. Labs at the moment, so he would just have to deal.

Cisco sighed, putting his screwdriver down onto his work table and leaning all the way back in his chair, his eyes closed as he tried his best to ignore the pain in this head. Yeah, talking to Cait was the last thing he wanted, he thought as the lights of the workshop pierced through his eyelids. He finally gave up, sitting back up in his chair and opening the top drawer of the desk, pulling out a large bottle of drugstore painkillers. He popped three in his mouth and dry swallowed, wincing at the way they almost got stuck going down his throat. 

He knew what was coming. Headaches this bad were never due to lack of sleep or caffeine (though he was skimping on sleep, he drank about four coffees a day). They meant a vibe was coming. Cisco knew that his vibes were important when it came to cases and the big bad of the week, but they were painful. Of course, he wouldn't tell anyone on the team that. 

Blue danced in his line of sight and he tensed as he felt the waves wash over him.

_A hospital of sorts. He didn't recognize it. It was dark and dirty like no one had been in there for ages. He could hear screams as he walked slowly down the hallway, wishing he was anywhere else. Blood stained the floors, walls, and ceilings in such ways that Cisco wondered how it could have possibly gotten on the places that they did. He shuttered just thinking about it._

_Cisco looked into one of the doorways, hoping to find a clue as to where he was in his vibe. He's really wished he didn't._

_It was a sort of operating room and there was a woman strapped down on one of the tables with four doctors around her, though Cisco used the term doctor loosely since they were electrocuting her. Her screams chilled Cisco's blood as he quickly ran, trying to get as much distance as possible between him and the crazed doctors who were going Cuckoo's Nest on the poor girl. His heart raced in his chest as he pushed his back towards the cinderblock walls of the hospital hallway._

_He was so caught up in controlling his breathing, he barely noticed the figure approaching._

_"Vibe will be next," a deep voice came from the figure, the features not distinguishable to Cisco. He looked up, squinting._

_"He will be an excellent subject, indeed."_

Cisco fell back in his chair, tipping over and falling to the linoleum flooring of the workshop, his head still spinning. He could feel a warm liquid falling down towards his lips and he knew his nose had started bleeding. He wiped away the blood with the sleeve of his sweatshirt and got up, his head still spinning.

What had just happened? The vibe had been so vivid and it had really scared him.

Someone was coming for him. For Vibe. He had to tell the team. He had to tell Barry.

Cisco threw his jacket on as he raced out of the lab, his phone in his hands as he quickly walked. The elevator seemed to take longer than usual, but Cisco chalked that up to his nerves. When it finally set him on the first floor, he rushed out of the main doors and into the cool night, his breath just as rapid as it had been in the vibe. As he began to press his finger to dial Barry's number, a sharp pain entered his neck, like a needle piercing his skin. A needle was exactly what it was. Cisco felt his body become heavy and fell to the pavement of the parking lot, the phone slipping through his fingers as it rang out a dial tone. Cisco barely saw the masked figure before he lost consciousness, his eyelids suddenly becoming very heavy.

"Cisco, it's _midnight_ , what is it? Cisco? Cisco?!"


	2. The Case of the Missing Engineer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo, hi again! Okay, so quick note, technically I don't think all the characters match up within a particular season. It's really hard to keep track of Harrison Wells, okay?! So, I'm pretty sure that Ralph and Earth-2 Wells have met (Season four, episode 4, right?) BUT Dante is technically dead (lmao f) but I put him in this story for D R A M A so I apologize for not sticking to a timeline. I know, such a Barry Allen move to go and change the timeline like that! So, I hope you still enjoy it!!!
> 
> Also, I'm really sorry that a lot of my writing is dialogue-based! I'm trying my best to improve my writing!
> 
> Okay, enough with this. ON TO THE STORY!

> "Life's little Stage is a small Eminence, Inch high the Grave above; that Home of Man, Where dwells the Multitude: We gaze around; We read their Monuments; We sigh; and while We sigh, we sink, and are what we explored"
> 
> _\- Edward Young, Night Thoughts (also engraved on the grave of Timothy Gay, 1763-1799)_
> 
> * * *

Barry Allen was not partial to being woken up at midnight on a weeknight. In fact, he was very against any interruptions in his sleep patterns, no matter the time of day or day of the week. But, when the Star Trek theme song rang through his bedroom, he knew who was calling. And he was fully prepared to kick his ass.

His hand blindly grabbed at the cell phone and hit the green button much more aggressively than needed.

"Cisco, it's _midnight_ , what is it?" Barry asked, the phone to his ear as he began to sit up in bed.

There was silence on the other line and Barry was sure that Cisco had accidentally dialed him. That was until he heard the yelp of pain on the other end of the line.

"Cisco? Cisco?!"

Barry was awake now as he clicked the bedside light on, his heart beginning to beat rapidly.

"The Vibe is ours now, Flash," a deep voice that didn't belong to Cisco said.

Before Barry could answer, the line went dead.

* * *

"What are we doing at S.T.A.R. Labs at one in the morning?" Ralph Dibny asked through a yawn, the man still in his pajamas as he had not seen the point in putting real clothes on.

"I dunno, Barry called an emergency meeting," Caitlin Snow said, trying not to sound annoyed. She knew Barry must have had a good reason for calling all of Team Flash here so late at night, but that didn't stop her from being irritated about it. 

"Whatever it is, it has to be important," Iris West chimed in from one of the com stations used to communicate with Barry when he was out in the field. She was in a much better mood than her other two friends, mostly because she had not been asleep, instead working on an article. Her father, Joe West, was currently slumped in the chair next to her snoozing.

The team heard footsteps and looked expectedly towards the entrance, hoping it was Barry so they could get this all over with. It was Harrison Wells instead, and it seemed as if everyone's shoulders slumped.

Wells didn't seem to notice much. Instead, he focused on one member of the group that was not present.

"Where's Ramon?"

"That's why we're here," a new voice added in.

Everyone looked towards Barry, his face grim, which made Caitlin frown.

"Barry, where _is_ Cisco?"

He was quiet for a minute as he took a deep breath, trying to contain his emotions as best as he could. "I think he was taken."

"What?" Iris exclaimed loudly, waking Joe up in the process.

"He... he called me around midnight. I could hear him through the line, he sounded hurt. Then a voice... a voice that wasn't Cisco's said that he now had Vibe."

There was silence for a few seconds as everyone in the room tried to process the new information.

"The guy," Barry continued. "He knew I was The Flash. He called me Flash. What if this is all my fault..."

"Barry..." Caitlin sighed, her eyes filled with sadness. "None of this is your fault."

"I should have been there for him," Barry argued as he began to pace across the floor.

"Allen, Snow's right. You couldn't have seen this coming," Wells said, his face as emotionless as ever.

Barry didn't reply as he finally sat down on a stool pushed into one of the room's corners. He ran his hands through his hair as he looked down at his shoes.

"We'll get Cisco back, Bar," Joe said softly.

"Yeah," Ralph chimed in as he stood quickly from his seat, a new wave of determination washing over him. "I'll put on a pot of coffee. Let's get him home."

* * *

The air smelt stale, with a hint of blood and sewage that lingered throughout the cold stone walls of the establishment. That was indeed the first thing Cisco noticed when his tired eyes blinked open. They were heavy as if someone had attached weights to them to keep them closed. Cisco also noticed how cold it was. He could feel the cool air on his arms and feet and his brain decided that someone must have taken his sweatshirt, shoes, and socks. He grimaced at the lack of foot protection as he could feel the damp floor with the palms of his hands. He just hoped he didn't catch anything from this place. Cisco pushed himself off of the floor, his arms wobbling slightly as he did. He pushed his back towards a wall (which was much closer than he was anticipating) and tried his best to take in his surroundings. 

It reminded him slightly of a room you would keep a violent mental hospital patient. There was padding on the walls, though it was rotting and only made up roughly one-quarter of the over-all room. Cisco could see that the padding on the flooring had been removed, leaving cement in its wake. There was no furniture in the room, only himself and a bucket that Cisco didn't want to think of the use it was intended for. The only light source came from the small barred window on the door that stood a few feet from where Cisco sat. He took in the measurements and estimated the room was about five by five feet. He had never considered himself claustrophobic, but this room was enough to change his mind about that.

At first, Cisco barely noticed the feeling of cool metal against his neck. He was, indeed, busy taking in his surroundings. His hands darted to his neck, trying to feel for a release clasp. The collar-like object was smooth and Cisco couldn't feel where the beginning and end met, leading him to believe it had been soldered on expertly. Cisco could feel tears begin to form at the corners of his eyes and he quickly wiped them away. He didn't have time to cry. He didn't know where he was. He could be in Central City still, or an entirely different continent. He shivered, mainly due to the thought, but the cold also contributed to the feeling as well. How was Team Flash supposed to find him? What if he died here? He didn't even know who had taken him.

The only thing Cisco truly knew was that these people wanted Meta-humans, and The Vibe was on their list. He had never considered himself to be the most useful Meta, especially in comparison to The Flash, but it seemed that, as usual, his luck wasn't very good. 

Suddenly, the steel door across the room creaked open, sending in blinding light that Cisco had to shield his eyes from. He squinted, trying to make out the faces of the two figures that stood in the doorway but failed.

"What'd you want?" Cisco demanded, his voice not as strong as he had hoped it would be.

"You, Vibe," a male voice said. A figure stepped forward and Cisco was able to see his face.

"Eiling?"


	3. To Be Seen, Not Heard

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> rip to all the people on this site that want me to write my supernatural, star trek, and marvel fics because ALL I CARE ABOUT IS CISCO RAMON LMAOOOOOO

> "It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness; that is life."
> 
> _\- Jean-Luc Picard, Star Trek: The Next Generation_

* * *

"Eiling?" Cisco asked.

The man smiled, though it was anything but kind, and raised his hand, a small remote in it. He clicked a button and all Cisco felt was pain.

He screamed as he reached towards his neck as if his hands alone could stop the pain from coming.

After about a minute, Eiling clicked the remote's button once more and the pain coursing through Cisco ceased. The metal around his neck was a shock collar, then, Cisco thought as he tried to rub the skin that the collar had contact with, knowing full well it was red and sore now.

"You will address me as General Eiling or Sir, is that understood?"

Cisco didn't say anything for a moment, still trying to regain a normal heart rate. He was unable to accomplish that before a large military boot slammed into his stomach, making him lay on the floor once again. He scrunched his body in, trying to protect it as he wrapped his arms around his now-sore stomach. 

"I said, _'do you understand?'_ " Eiling shouted, looking down at the hurt engineer.

"Yeah, sure," Cisco wheezed, trying to breathe.

The boot kicked his stomach once more, making Cisco yelp in pain.

"I said you refer to me as General Eiling or Sir. Now, _do you understand?"_

Cisco didn't know how many more kicks with a steel-toed boot his stomach could take. In all actuality, he really just needed to survive long enough for Barry and the rest of the team to find him. If that meant saying 'yes, sir' to a grade-a asshole like Eiling, then perhaps he didn't have much of a choice.

"Yes, sir," Cisco spat, his eyes locking with Eiling's as he did. 

Eiling didn't look very impressed, but nodded, a sort of evil smirk appearing on his face. "Good job. Maybe you'll learn sooner than expected."

Cisco didn't reply. He pushed himself up to a sitting position and backed his way into the wall once more, his eyes not leaving Eiling, who watched him as if waiting for him to make a mistake so he could harm him.

"Don't you want to know why you're here?" The General asked in a condescending tone.

"Because you're a nutjob who wants to experiment on Metas, sir," Cisco said, stressing the 'sir' in a sarcastic manner.

Cisco half expected to be hit or electrocuted again, but Eiling simply laughed. "You saw us, didn't you? With a... what is it you call it? A vibe?"

Cisco tensed, not replying, which seemed to be enough of a response for Eiling, who continued.

"You have much use, Vibe. To me, my staff, and the country. You're going to be very useful, indeed"

Cisco felt anger rising in his chest. "So, what, you're just gonna find a way to clone my abilities and what, weaponize it? No way, I'm not gonna help you get a foot up on your little war game! In fact, you can take that idea and shove it up your-"

Cisco was cut off with a bolt of electricity running through the collar and into his body. It lasted longer this time, and Cisco couldn't help but let tears of pain run down his face as his body seized.

Eiling walked over to him after it was over, standing over him as he laid on the cold floor, his entire body in immense pain. "You don't get a choice, Vibe," Eiling said. "You're mine now and I'll do whatever I like with you. With or without your permission."

Cisco closed his eyes and didn't even open them when he heard the door of his cell close.

* * *

Cisco must have dozed off after the pain Eiling had put him through. He sighed as he ran his hand through his long hair as he pushed himself up. He looked around as if expecting something to have changed, but the cold dark cell was the same as it had been hours ago.

Actually, Cisco didn't know how long it had been. His watch wasn't on his wrist, most likely still on his workshop table, and the lights outside the door never changed in intensity. He stood, walking over to the door to look out the window, hoping maybe one wall had a clock on it, or maybe a window. The only thing Cisco saw was a plain white wall. He sighed angrily, feeling defeated.

Well, he thought, maybe if he was lucky Eiling would leave him alone. He knew that was a long shot, though. Eiling wanted to weaponize his powers and that really scared him. He didn't want to think about what would happen if The Vibe was used as a weapon against good. Cisco didn't want to go Dark Side or have any part of his powers used to hurt or kill people. 

He couldn't help but think about Team Flash. They had to know he was gone by now. He wasn't sure if the call he had made to Barry before he was taken had even gone through. What if they just thought he decided to not come into work that day, or that he was sick? What if they assumed he left or something?

Cisco's brain swirled with thoughts, each one worse than the last. What if they thought he was dead, so they didn't look? 

What if Cisco was stuck here forever? What if he died here?

Cisco was still lost in thought when the door opened, causing his thinking to pause. He expected Eiling, but it was a man he had never seen before but hoped he would never have to see again, mainly due to the size of his muscles and the threatening look on his face.

"Come with me," he said in a deep voice. Cisco, not in any condition to even argue, slowly exited the room with the man, his eyes blinking as they tried to adjust to the light change. He looked around as the man led him down the hall, obviously deciding Cisco wasn't much of a threat. Cisco didn't think he could argue with that, considering his lack of shoes and the Meta Dampeners installed in almost every corner of the building. The hallway was rather plain, though it didn't match the ones he had seen in his Vibe. Cisco expected he was about to see those grim walls soon, and he wasn't wrong.

As if entering an entirely new location, the halls went from looking like a standard hospital to something out of a horror movie. Cisco swore the temperature went down five degrees as well, though he didn't really have proof of that. The cement flooring was freezing under his bare feet and he desperately wanted to be anywhere but wherever he currently was. It seemed as the winding hallways would never end and Cisco was getting dizzy just trying to memorize the various directions they went in.

Finally, the intimidating man stopped at a closed-door, pulling it open and shoving Cisco into it roughly. Cisco stumbled and almost fell on his face. The man followed him and closed the door behind him. Cisco looked around and felt his blood run cold.

It looked just like the room with the woman being electrocuted that he saw in his Vibe. And Cisco really didn't want to end up like her.

The man shoved a stack of clothing towards Cisco roughly. "Put this on. Now."

Cisco gulped. He really would rather not discard his jeans and Star Trek T-Shirt, but the man looked like he could break his spine like a toothpick, and Cisco remembered his promise to just try and stay alive until the others found him, so he slowly placed the new clothes that were handed to him on the exam table near and shyly began to unbutton his jeans, noticing the man was not looking away.

Jeez, where the hell was Barry anyway, Cisco thought scornfully as he let his old clothes fall to the floor, trading them in for what resembled scrubs that a nurse would wear. They were a light grey and seemed normal enough until Cisco's eyes found the prison-like numbers printed on each short-sleeve. The back made his stomach twist, bold black letters reading: **VIBE, INMATE 287738**.

Cisco held back tears as he changed into the clothes, knowing this had to be one of Eiling's ways of making him feel like less of a person. He knew he was nothing but a Meta-human experiment to them, but it still hurt, especially seeing the discrimination in action.

The man took Cisco's old clothes from the floor in his hands and left the room without a word, the door locking behind him. Cisco felt like he could finally breathe for the first time since he had met the man. He picked at the hem of the stiff shirt, trying not to think about all the terrible things that were going to happen to him. Maybe he could escape on his own. There wasn't any reason he should have to wait here like Princess Peach in her tower. He wasn't a damsel in distress, he could handle himself.

However, his brain also wandered to the collar around his throat and he felt less confident in himself. Eiling held all the cards in this situation and Cisco didn't even have an escape plan yet. They had put the Meta Dampeners up so he couldn't open a breach or blast anyone or even try and Vibe the team to tell them his location. He was powerless.

Well, that wasn't totally true. He still had his brain, and he had to admit he was rather intelligent. Maybe he didn't need his Meta-human abilities to get out of this situation. Maybe all he needed was his smarts.

The door unlocked and the man from before entered, followed by a young woman who refused to even look at Cisco, and Eiling, who slammed the door behind him, causing Cisco to jump slightly. 

"I see you have your new uniform, Vibe," Eiling smirked, making Cisco feel more like a piece of meat than a human. "It suits you."

"Can you just get on with the torturing? I hate villain monologues. It's so _Wrath of Khan_ of you."

Eiling didn't reply, but he didn't electrocute Cisco either, which he considered positive. The General began to pace around the room, which made Cisco very uncomfortable. 

"You think yourself very brave, don't you Vibe?"

Cisco didn't dignify the questions with a response, only shifted his weight slightly as he stood, watch Eiling intently. He wasn't sure what the crazed military man was going to do him, but he knew it wouldn't be good.

"Bravery will get you nowhere in this place."

With a nod from Eiling, the buff man pushed Cisco down on the exam table forcefully, using the rough restraints to keep the squirming man in place. Cisco could feel the tight leather of the straps dig into his arms as he tried to weasel his way out of captivity, knowing it was hopeless, but trying anyway.

Eiling leaned over Cisco's face, a menacing grin stretched across his sinister face.

"This is where heroes die," Eiling sneered, making Cisco wince weakly at the sharpness of the man's words.

"Disengage maximum dampening level. Enough for it to 'Vibe'. And attach the electrodes, nurse. Set to one-hundred."

It all happened so quickly. Cisco was unable to even try to open a breach before the nurse harshly placed the cold electrodes on his forehead and started the machine that was used on the woman in his Vibe. The machine whirled to life and all Cisco could do was scream in agony as electricity flowed through his body.

"If it doesn't produce a Vibe in two minutes, up the power setting to five-hundred," Cisco overheard Eiling say through the sound of the damned machine and the screams that came out of his mouth. He spasmed on the table, and a cruel thought came through his weak mind that thanked them for strapping him down since he most likely would have been on the floor by now.

"Five-hundred, nurse, now."

"NOOOOOOO!" Cisco cried as the pain became even more unbearable. He hoped he would be lucky enough to pass out and he thought he was for a moment, but it was really the last thing he wanted.

A Vibe.

Blue lights darted across his line of sight and Cisco felt himself going into the Vibe, whether he wanted to or not.

* * *

 _Cisco found himself standing in the lobby of S.T.A.R. Labs. He felt his stomach clench in anticipation. He was home, just_ when _was he home?_

_He walked down the hallway that led to where the comm stations and Barry's suit were kept, hearing voices much to his excitement. It had to be Team Flash!_

_"...knew I was The Flash. He called me Flash. What if this is all my fault..."_

_That was Barry's voice, Cisco would know it anywhere. He entered the room, seeing everyone but himself situation, most looking sad or angry or perhaps a mix of both. When was this? Where was he?_

_"Barry..." Caitlin sighed, her eyes filled with sadness. "None of this is your fault."_

_What was Barry's fault? The man had a habit of blaming himself for everything that went wrong in the world, so this confession wasn't exactly the best indicator of knowing how recently this event happened._

_"I should have been there for him," Barry argued as he began to pace across the floor._

_Who was' him?' Were they talking about Cisco? If so, then this event could have been just a night or two ago. Cisco kept listening, hoping this was a sign the team was looking for him._

_"Allen, Snow's right. You couldn't have seen this coming," Wells said, his face as emotionless as ever._

_"We'll get Cisco back, Barr," Joe said softly._

_Cisco couldn't help but smile, tears streaming down his face as he did. The team hadn't given up on him after all. They were looking for him. They didn't assume he had packed up and left. They cared._

* * *

Cisco was trusted out of the Vibe and back into the real world. The electricity was still streaming through the electrodes and into his brain and he could feel tears running down the side of his face mixing with the blood pouring out of his nose.

As suddenly as it had all began, it stopped. Cisco continued to spasm for a moment before becoming very still on the hard metal table, his eyes still pinched closed as tightly as they could be. There was a harsh slap to his face and Cisco opened his eyes, surprised.

Eiling was leaning over him again. "Did you Vibe?"

Cisco only nodded slowly, everything around him sounding as if he had cotton balls shoved in his ears. His mouth tasted of pennies, which worried him.

"What did you see?" Eiling demanded.

"Not... gonna... tell," Cisco sighed, feeling extremely tired from the electrocution.

Eiling slapped Cisco once more, this time harder, which Cisco didn't even know was possible.

"You will tell me what you saw or I will break every bone in your hand."

Cisco only turned his head to the side in response, which wasn't what Eiling was hoping for he assumed. He barely registered the restraints around him being removed or his body being forcefully shoved into a sitting position. He did, however, notice the moment Eiling took a hammer to his right hand.

"AHHHHHHHGH!" Cisco screamed, his brain unfogging almost instantaneously. "What the fu-"

A rough hand was shoved against Cisco's mouth as the hammer came down once again. More tears added to the ones that had already fallen as the hammer kept coming down upon his dominant hand.

"Now, Inmate 287738," Eiling said in a voice that was reserved for people who did not crush other people's hands with hammers as he removed his hand from Cisco's mouth to let him breathe. "What did you see? Quickly, before I let my hammer fall once more."

"S.T.A.R. Labs! I saw S.T.A.R. Labs! Please! S-stop!" Cisco cried, wanting nothing more than G-d to strike him dead at that exact moment.

"And what was happening at S.T.A.R. Labs?" Eiling pressed. Cisco looked up, his vision blurry with tears. He could see the man fidgeting with the hammer, eager to use it against him once more.

"The Flash... he... he was getting a check-up... fr-from the doc-doctor," Cisco said, hoping his voice wasn't quivering. 

Eiling didn't say anything for a second and Cisco was afraid he had caught him in his lie. After a moment, he passed the hammer to the nurse, who returned it to a tray of surgical instruments.

"Take it back to its cell," Eiling said to the buff man.

"Sir, the hand-"

The General interrupted the nurse. "It's lucky I don't chop it off, the way it disobeyed."

Cisco said nothing as the man led him back to the dank cell, trying not to think of the way they referred to him as an 'it'.


	4. Rebel Just for Kicks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thanks for the comments, they bring a smile to my face every time I read them! I'm really glad you're enjoying the story! As with all my works, if you ever want to make a request for something you want to see in the story, I welcome it in the comments!
> 
> And... I took one Spanish class in 8th grade and passed with a C+, so Spanish is brought to you by Google Translate and is most likely horribly wrong! So, I am so sorry to readers who know Spanish! But, I include translations within the text, usually in italics, so you don't have to Google it yourself cause that would be mean.
> 
> Thanks again! Now, ON TO THE CHAPTER!!!
> 
> (oh, and, like, this isn't important, but if you're wondering why I censor G-d and not, like, fuck or other swears, I'm Jewish, it's just a thing we do, don't take it to mean anything about the story, it's just my personal preference. thanks <3 )

> " If G-d did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him."
> 
> _\- Voltaire_
> 
> * * *

Cisco Ramon woke up on the third day of captivity and proceeded to vomit into the bucket that sat in the corner of the small cell he was currently inhabiting. Only phlegm and blood came up, which worried Cisco, but not enough for him to care that much.

After vomiting, Cisco became very aware of the immense pain in his right hand. He really didn't want to look at the damage, but there was no Caitlin Snow here to fix it, so he forced his eyes down. It was mangled a bit, but it didn't look as bad as it hurt. Cisco's middle finger was bent in an impossible position and his pointer seemed to bend back a bit like it was part of a Stretch Armstong toy. The hand was terribly bruised all over, but Cisco was happy to report that there were no bones sticking out of the skin. Right now, that was the best thing that had happened, which was totally pathetic on so many levels.

He leaned his head back against the rough walls. What he would give for Barry to come wooshing through that door. His eyes closed as tears silently fell down his face. He couldn't help but cry in a situation like this. This was worse than anything he had ever faced. He wasn't even this afraid when the Rouges had him, not even that afraid for Dante. Because he knew there was a chance of getting the two of them out. Right now, Cisco wasn't sure if he would live or die in this hellscape. 

The door opened a bit, making Cisco jump out of his thoughts. He was expecting the man from before to take him to more torture sessions, but it was a metal tray sliding quickly into the room, the door closing behind it with no evidence that there had ever been a person on the other side. Cisco made his way over carefully, examining the contents of the tray. A bottle of water still sealed, a sandwich, and a roll of gauze. Though his stomach wanted him to take the food first, Cisco quickly grabbed the gauze with his left hand and began to try his best to wrap the fabric around his fingers with his non-dominant hand. In the end, it wasn't pretty, but it would keep the fingers straight so they could at least heal a bit. 

Next, Cisco grabbed the water, cracking it open and taking two long drinks, trying to wash the taste of blood and metal out of his mouth. He was careful not to drain the entire bottle, in case he wasn't getting another for a while. Humans could last without food longer than water, he thought as he took a bite into the stale sandwich. Baloney and cheese. Gross in literally any other situation, but right now Cisco thought it tasted like a five-course meal. 

Cisco ate the entire sandwich rather quickly, mainly due to hunger and the knowledge that meat and dairy don't keep well in medieval cells. They wanted him alive, obviously, so they were going to have to feed him again. He stashed the half-empty water bottle in the corner that he spent the majority of his time in and laid down, his body curled into itself as tight as it could to keep the cold away. Cisco closed his eyes and hoped they would leave him alone forever.

* * *

A woosh of red and yellow lightning alerted Dr. Caitlin Snow that Barry had come back from his search of the city. The sad look on his face and the lack of her friend told her he had failed.

"I'll go again," Barry said, not meeting Caitlin's eyes.

"Barry, you need to rest. Please. You can't help Cisco if you're hurt or..."

She didn't say the last word, but they both knew what it was anyway.

"Cisco needs me, I know he does," Barry argued, though he sat down instead of speeding away.

"I know, but Cisco would want you to rest. He wouldn't want you to get hurt looking for him."

Barry didn't reply, but he nodded softly and Caitlin smiled, though it felt forced. "Eat something," she reminded Barry before returning to her lab.

The man sighed deeply, but he grabbed one of the energy bars Cisco had made for him, suddenly not feeling very hungry at all. This was all his fault. If only he had answered the phone faster, if only he had convinced Cisco to stop working for the night, if only he had stayed to help Cisco with his problem.

A million "what ifs" circled Barry's mind, none of them making him feel any better about the situation. He wished he could go back to before it happened, but he knew that would do more harm than good. Time travel was never the answer, he reminded himself.

Barry was snapped out of his thoughts by Joe coming through the door, an evidence bag in his hand.

"Hey, Barr. No luck?"

Barry shook his head sadly, watching as Joe sat in the chair across from him. "I found Cisco's cell in the parking lot."

He handed the bag to Barry, who took it, opening it to grab the phone. Barry clicked it on, his eyes tearing up at the sight of the lock screen; Team Flash all smiling at a barbeque Joe had hosted last summer. Barry typed in the password (Leonard Nimoy's birthday) that Cisco had entrusted him with long ago and went to the call logs.

Last call: Barry.

"Barry, none of this is your fault," Joe said, his hand laying gently on Barry's shoulder. "There's nothing you could have done."

"I could have made him stop working that night. I could have stayed with him," Barry answered back, tears running down his face.

"He wouldn't have left his project, he's been inseparable from it for weeks. And he would have told you to go. Barry, this is not your fault, no matter what you think."

All of a sudden, the phone in Barry's hands began to vibrate, a caller ID appearing on the screen.

"Who is it?" Joe questioned.

"His brother," Barry said softly. "Dante."

* * *

This whole "try to be a better big brother" thing was becoming exhausting for Dante Ramon. His mom could tell him to bond with Cisco all she wanted, it didn't make him loath the experience any less. Dante didn't hate Cisco, it wasn't that at all. It was just that they had nothing in common but DNA and a last name.

Right now, for example, Dante was waiting outside the theatre they were scheduled to meet at to see the new movie that had something to do with war and space. They had both miraculously agreed on it, and Dante took that as a good sign. However, his little brother, who was never late to anything that involved a nerdy movie, was nowhere to be seen. The film started in ten minutes and Dante wasn't patient, so he pulled out his phone and clicked on Cisco's number, listening to it dial for a minute. He must be caught up in one of his projects at S.T.A.R. Labs, thought Dante as the line finally picked up.

"¡Dios mío, ya era hora! ¿Donde estas, hermano? La película está por comenzar," Dante said, his face in a smirk. _My G-d, it was about time! Where are you, brother? The movie is about to begin._

"Umm... this isn't Cisco. It's, um. His friend, Barry Allen," a voice on the other end said.

"Barry Allen? Where's my brother then?" Dante asked.

"He's... he's not here right now."

Dante lost his smirk. "Well, where is he? We had plans, he can't just cancel last minute. I took off work for this."

There was an uncomfortable silence on the other line. "Well?" Dante added.

"Hello, Mr. Ramon, I'm Detective Joe West with CCPD," a new voice said and Dante's heart almost stopped.

"Oh, G-d, is he hurt? Did he get in trouble or something? I... I don't have a lot of money for bail, you know-"

"No, Cisco isn't in trouble with the law. He's... he's been kidnapped."

Dante was the one to be silent this time. He took a shaky breath, trying to control his voice. "Can... can I meet you some-somewhere, Detective?"

"Meet me at S.T.A.R. Labs, Mr. Ramon," replied the detective, his voice full of worry.

Dante ended the call and walked slowly back to his car, which he sat in for five minutes and cried.

* * *

Cisco was awoken once again to the door opening. However, instead of just a tray of supplies, it was the man again.

"Are you ever going to tell me your name?" Cisco questioned as he was led down the halls. "I mean, I can make one up if you'd like."

The man said nothing in response, so Cisco named him Carl.

Carl did not say anything as the two walked down the hall that would surely lead to Cisco's demise. Cisco couldn't help but let his mind wander to all the terrible things that he was going to be met within that terrible room.

However, the room he was led to was not the one from before. It was bigger, for starters, and didn't look like a demented doctor's examination room like the one the electroshock machine lived in. It actually looked quite similar to one of S.T.A.R. Lab's test rooms that had been set up for Barry to train only about ten times bigger, like the size of a high school gym (not that Cisco had much experience in that room). There was still an area that concerned Cisco, with its hard exam table that had leather restraints hanging off the side, and the corner that held what appeared to be a dog kennel, but there was also a treadmill area and a section with targets set up. This all reminded Cisco of some top-secret training program, and he supposed it really was, though with more torture. 

Eiling stood near the doctor's examination portion of the room, the nurse from the day before there as well as a couple more men who looked just as strong as Carl. Cisco was pushed forward with no warning, almost falling over his own feet. Eiling smiled cruelly, watching as Cisco regained his balance. 

"Welcome to our training room, Vibe," the General said, his arm presenting the room as if it was a lovely amusement park ride and not something set up by the CIA rejects.

"For me, you really shouldn't have," Cisco answered, getting a harsh slap in the face as a response. 

"I do not appreciate back-talk from anyone, especially _you_. I'll do worse next time, Inmate."

Cisco simply rubbed his now-sore cheek, not daring to make another sound in case the worse Eiling spoke of was the collar. He wasn't sure how much electricity going through one's body in a span of 24 hours was bad, but it was probably any number above zero and Cisco didn't want to increase it.

"Now that we have reached a mutual understanding," Eiling continued, turning away from Cisco as he spoke. "We will be running some tests on your abilities. Your Vibe yesterday was an important start, but we want to also focus on your ability to open breaches and shoot sonic waves from your hands. So, after the nurse runs some tests, we're going to see what you can do."

Cisco felt his stomach tie into a nervous knot. He didn't have his gauntlets. Shooting waves was going to hurt like hell, especially with his fingers broken like they were. He couldn't even imagine how much pain the breaches would cause.

"But-"

Eiling turned quickly as if he were a hawk pouncing on its prey. "What was that, Vibe?"

Cisco made a small sound of distress before continuing. "But... _sir_ , my hand. And the dampeners. _Sir_." He hoped his use of 'sir' would save him from any more punishments Eiling had up his sleeves.

Eiling seemed to think for a moment before responding. "I don't care about your hands. You brought that upon yourself by not obeying. As for the dampeners, they will be turned off in this room. However, this entire building is surrounded by a field. You won't be able to breach anywhere outside of its limits. And if you blast anyone with your sonic waves, you will be worried about other things besides your broken hand. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," Cisco said softly, any hope he had of escaping leaving him instantly. 

The General smiled in the sinister way he had a habit of doing and watched as the guards led Cisco to the exam table. They didn't strap him down this time, only forced him to sit up straight as the nurse from before began taking his blood pressure as if this was just a regular check-up, not a captive situation.

"One-hundred over seventy," the nurse said to one of the guards, who wrote it down on a chart. "Normal."

Surprisingly, thought Cisco as she made him open his mouth.

The simple tests went on for a bit and though they were uncomfortable, they weren't anything Cisco hadn't experienced in any normal doctor's office. Soon they were over, and the nurse nodded to him, telling him he could stand from the table.

"Normal health. I'll run the blood tests, but everything about him, um, _it_ , is average," said the nurse carefully, watching Cisco from the corner of her eye as she spoke to Eiling.

"Thank you, nurse. Sergeant, lead it to the treadmill."

Carl grabbed Cisco's arm roughly and pulled him towards the treadmill near the middle of the room. Cisco stood on the platform, not very thrilled to be participating in any physical activity, though he supposed it was better than being electrocuted. The nurse instructed him to remove his shirt and he did, feeling a tad shy about everyone seeing his bare chest. She attacked electrodes to his torso, forearms, and head and Cisco tried to calm his heartbeat. The electrodes on his head brought back yesterday's electroshock, and he wasn't looking to relive it.

"Start at level one, then increase a level every three minutes," Eiling instructed. 

The machine began and Cisco jogged, trying to not think about all the people watching him or the machines measuring his heart rate and other things that he simply couldn't consider at the moment. He didn't know how Barry did it, because by the time he got to level four he was exhausted. Eiling, however, did not let him stop even for a break or a drink of water. He simply instructed Carl to up the levels, making Cisco groan in pain. 

Once the treadmill reached level ten, Cisco's legs gave out and he fell off the machine, hitting his face on the side as he did. Nothing felt broken and when he reached to touch the injured part of his face, there was no blood, only sweat. Though, he didn't get much of a rest as he felt a large hand grab his long hair to pull him to his feet. He cried out in pain, trying to get away from the offender.

"Put your shirt on. You have a two-minute break."

Cisco pulled his discarded shirt back on and sat down on the cement flooring, feeling the eyes of the nurse on him.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer," Cisco muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose.

She didn't reply.

* * *

The first thing Dante noticed about S.T.A.R. Labs was how empty it was. He had known the majority of the staff had left after the explosion, but there wasn't a single person in the hallway when Dante exited the elevator. This should have concerned him, but he had more pressing matters on his mind.

He walked slowly down the hallway, following the noise of intense arguing, which Dante wasn't sure he really wanted to interrupt.

"-he has a right to know!" a voice yelled.

"He could compromise everything. He could find out!" another screamed, just as loud.

"Cisco is more important than The Flash," Voice One stated.

The second voice did not reply.

Dante chose this as his cue to enter. The lab was about how he imagined a lab being; futuristic and clean-looking. There were a few people in the room, three men and one female. Dante only recognized the woman, Caitlin Snow. She had come to his birthday party with Cisco. His heart hurt just thinking of his brother.

"Am I interrupting?" Dante asked, looking between the two individuals that were most likely the ones who had been fighting seconds before; a middle-aged man with dark hair and glasses and a tall young man with brunette hair.

"No, Dante, come in," Caitlin said, moving from her seat towards him. "I'm sorry."

Dante didn't reply, not even to say 'it's okay' because everyone in the room knew it wasn't okay at all.

"Where is my brother?" Dante said instead, his hands feeling very sweaty.

"We... we don't know," the brunette man said, his face crestfallen as he spoke. "I've been looking everywhere in Central City, but nothing so far."

Dante looked down. "Did it happen here? At work?"

The brunette man sighed, but the man with glasses chose to answer.

"Yes. Ramon was working late, no one was here, and he was taken."

"How did that happen?" Dante demanded. "How can you just _let_ employees get kidnapped? Don't you have any security?"

"We do," the man insisted in an insulted tone. "The man wore a mask and the car had no license plate. It was non-descript. We have no leads."

Dante laughed. He didn't know why, but all he could do was laugh at the situation. A lab that was supposed to be very high-tech according to Cisco had not been able to catch his kidnapper. 

"Why am I even here?" Dante shook his head, running his hands through his hair. "None of you are any help. My brother could be dead!"

"Dante," the third man approached him slowly. "We talked on the phone, I'm Detective West. Remember?"

Dante nodded quietly, allowing the detective to lead him to a pair of seats where they could sit. "We're going to find your brother. It's our biggest concern. All the people in this room care about Cisco very much. They would do anything for your brother. I would do anything for your brother."

Dante could feel tears falling down his face once more. "You know him?" he sniffled, accepting the handkerchief Joe handed him.

"Yeah, I do. He's a great kid. And we're gonna bring him home. I promise."

"I... I want to help," Dante said, looking down at his hands.

"Dante..." Caitlin started, though he cut her off.

"I have to find him. It's... I've never the best big brother to him. He deserves so much better, and... I mean, you guys have done that for him. Gave him better than me. So, let me help any way I can. Because I... I know Cisco would do the same for me."

No one responded, but it was a silent agreement between everyone in the room the Dante was officially on Team Cisco.


	5. G-d Cries in the Reflection of my Enemies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okokokok so the chapter title and the quote is from the same Fall Out Boy song because honestly, it really makes me think of Cisco like hardcore, so give it a listen if you'd like! I highly recommend it because it's actually one of my favorite FOB songs (also i may or may not be making a Cisco Ramon edit on YouTube to that song hint hint wink wink)
> 
> also, I guess I can't just write word-for-word what's happening with Cisco since that would be kinda boring, so I suppose there has to be some time jumps and such since I'm not Victor Hugo rambling about the Parisian sewer systems for entire books. such is life I suppose...
> 
> ALSO, THIS IS KINDA SHORT AND KINDA A FILLER I'M REALLY SORRY
> 
> ON WITH THE CHAPTER!!!

> “Tongues on the sockets of electric dreams  
>  Where the sewage of youth drowned the spark of my teens"  
>  _\- Fall Out Boy, Golden_

* * *

This was a big decision for Team Flash to make, one that Barry was warry about from the beginning.

However, it wasn't like he had a choice because Caitlin had made the decision for everyone and none of them found out until Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak walked through the doors of S.T.A.R. Labs five days after Cisco had been taken.

"Barry, I'm so sorry, Caitlin told us what had happened!" Felicity said, pulling Barry into a tight hug, her mascara already running down her face. Oliver stood next to Felicity stiffly, as if he was slightly uncomfortable, though to Barry he always looked like that.

"I'm sorry about Cisco," Oliver added softly, his eyes moving around the room to take in everyone who was present. "But I'm glad you called. You can't do this alone."

Barry didn't reply, only looked down at his feet. He really didn't want to bother Oliver with this, not until they had exhausted every resource they had themselves. Oliver had Star City to worry about, he didn't need to be involved. Oliver, however, seemed to think differently, and Felicity agreed with him.

"Here, Felicity, you can sit here at Cis..." Caitlin's face went from happiness at seeing her friend to sadness, her hands still resting on Cisco's computer chair that she had pulled out for Felicity to sit.  
The room was filled with a sort of awkward sadness that no one wanted to break. Everyone, even Oliver, it seemed, was feeling the loss of Cisco.

"Thanks, Caitlin," Felicity finally said, taking a seat at Cisco's computer, trying her best to make things less tense in the lab. "Let me see what I can find on the CCTV, maybe do some digging. Anyone who would want to hurt Cisco?"

"There was a man who spoke to me when Cisco... called me. He knew I was the Flash and that Cisco was Vibe."

Oliver nodded, his arms crossed. "That does narrow the list. Who knows your secret identities and would want to harm you because of them?"

"That's what we're trying to find out," Ralph spoke up from the corner, where he had been listening to the conversation. 

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Oliver asked, clearly confused.

"That's Ralph Dibny, Elongated Man, he's on Team Flash now," Caitlin explained. Ralph tried not to look too offended.

"You guys, we gotta start a newsletter or something, I'm telling you," Felicity said from the computer, her fingers rapidly typing on the keyboard. "I can't keep up."

"Barry, come with me. We'll keep looking around Central City, maybe even Keystone. Felicity, keep working," Oliver said in his Leadership Voice.  
"What should the rest of us do?" Ralph asked.

"Think of who could possibly know your identities and hate you enough to kidnap."

The team got to work.

* * *

Cisco tried his best not to touch the palms of his hands as he ate the food that had been delivered to his cell a few minutes ago. Eiling had forced him to use his powers alright, and no matter how many times he breached or shot sonic waves, Eiling was never satisfied. Not even when the skin on Cisco's palms split open or when he began to bleed from both his nose and ears. Not even when he fainted that one time. They had just thrown cold water on him and made him go again.

Barry had to be close by now, Cisco thought as he took a bite of the sandwich. It had been a week since he arrived, and it hadn't been pleasant one bit. Cisco shuttered at the thought of the experiments he had been through. He still had the burn marks on his arms and legs from when they tested to see if he was fire-proof (spoiler alert: nope!) and a long scar now ran from his left nipple to his bellybutton where they had tested if he had speed healing (none of that either!). Cisco didn't know what other sick tests they would put him through. The only thing that stayed constant in his life right now was that every day he was fed a sandwich with water and was taken to the training room to show Eiling his powers. Cisco didn't understand what was so interesting about seeing him Vibe or breach twenty times in a row. It had to get old eventually, right?

What were they even looking for? What was the point, in the end? Cisco knew they wanted his powers to be used as a weapon, but how was any of this helping them achieve that goal?

Cisco felt a headache coming in sharp like a needle piercing his skull.

“Oh, not now!” Cisco complained.

The Vibe coming in didn’t seem to listen.

* * *

_Cisco blinked, trying to clear the flashing blue lights of the Vibe from his vision. He looked around, hoping he would be in S.T.A.R. Labs again. Maybe they were really close to finding him, Cisco thought._

_He wasn’t at S.T.A.R. Labs. It was his parent’s house._

_“What the hell am I doing here,” Cisco wondered out-loud, looking around the living room for any signs of life._

_“¿Francisco falta?” Cisco heard the voice of his mother cry as she entered the living room, Dante following her closely._ Francisco is missing?

_“Sí, mamá, lo siento,” Dante answered, his face showing signs of crying. Dante was crying about him? That didn’t seem very Dante-like. And why was he sorry?_

_“The Flash buscándolo,” Dante added._ The Flash is looking for him.

 _“¿Y si muere, Dante? ¿Y si nunca lo volvemos a ver? ¿Y si está herido?” Cisco’s mother cried into her handkerchief loudly._ What if he dies, Dante? What if we never see him again? What if he’s hurt?

 _“Lo van a encontrar,” Dante reassured their mother, hugging her as he did._ They will find him.

_“Mamá,” Cisco said softly, tears falling down his face. He knew she couldn’t see or hear him, but he wanted nothing more than to hug her tightly. “Lo sineto, mamá.”_

_The Vibe faded and Cisco returned to the cold cell._

* * *

“Nothing,” Oliver confirmed over the comms, his voice as steady as he could manage.

“Okay.” A sigh. “I’m still in Keystone, looking. Be back in a few.”

“Over and out,” Oliver replied, the line going dead. He sat down on the edge of the building that he had been patrolling at, his legs swinging over the edge as if he was about to jump.

Oliver Queen wasn’t the best with emotions. In fact, he was probably the worse out of everyone he knew. Even Killer Frost, Caitlin’s icy alter-ego, seemed more caring than him at times. It wasn’t exactly Oliver’s fault. He had spent five years on an island fighting every day to survive. He knew that wasn’t an excuse for occasionally being a dick, but at least he had a reason, he thought.

Cisco and he weren’t very close. They had only talked a few times, and most of the time it was Cisco joking around or relaying tech babble that didn’t make much sense to Oliver. But, if Oliver’s suspicions were right, the two would have much in common if- when- they got him back.

No one kidnaps a meta-human or really any vigilante/superhero to just kill them.

Cisco was being tortured. Oliver wasn’t sure if it was for information or because of his powers, but that didn’t matter. Cisco was in pain and Oliver knew what that was like.

He really didn’t want the kind-hearted engineer to end up like him. Oliver actually didn't want anybody to end up like him, but Cisco was at the top of the list. He couldn't help but think about what they could be doing to him. Did they break him? Cisco's powers were very strong, and he had a lot of potential, but he held himself back with his fear. Oliver noticed it when they fought. Cisco, of course, always got the job done, but Oliver knew there was so much more to the kid than what scratched the surface. Was a week enough to destroy him?

Or was he braver than Oliver gave him credit for?


	6. Life Will Always Go On

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! No notes this chapter, really, except here are the links to my two Cisco Ramon edits on YouTube in case you wanted to watch them:  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQqHAMUOndk  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5T-xZtayiA&t=12s
> 
> And hey, maybe subscribe while you're over there (though you totally don't have to!!!)
> 
> I am introducing another character into the equation because I love him so gosh darn much and like, I know I'm adding a lot of other characters but I JUST REALLY WANNA PLS!
> 
> Oh, and was anyone gonna tell me that Cisco's middle name is Baracus, or was I supposed to read that on the Arrowverse Wiki myself?! Like, when did we find this information out?
> 
> Alrighty, hope you enjoy the chapter!!!

> "I wish you were a monster, but you're just a man."
> 
> _\- Bruce Wayne, Gotham_

* * *

The heavy door creaked open, alerting Cisco of the presence of another life. It wasn't food; he had already been fed, he knew that. It had only been what Cisco assumed was a few hours since the one meal of the day had arrived. It had to be Eiling.

Cisco sat up from the floor of the cell, looking to see who had entered. Carl (or whatever his real name was) stood sternly, waiting for Cisco to get up. At this point, there was very little need to drag Cisco from the cell. He didn't like the guards coming in, mainly due to the fact that he was afraid they would find his small stack of half-empty water bottles and gauze he had saved. .He didn't need them taking that away from him too.

The engineer stood, his legs shaking, though Cisco wasn't sure if it was fear, weakness, or malnutrition. Maybe all three. He followed Carl out of the cell, his heart beginning to beat rapidly in anticipation of what was about to happen. Cisco wished he would never have to see that damned training room again, though he assumed that was exactly where they were taking him.

Cisco had almost memorized the way to the training room, and currently, they had taken a wrong turn. Cisco's heart beat faster. Where were they taking him? The electroshock room? Cisco would take the training room over that any day, he decided as they entered a room he had never been in before.

It looked normal enough, despite the chair with straps attached to it and the various equipment that looked perfect for torture. Carl shoved Cisco down onto the chair. He tried to get back up, but a large hand pushed him back down. His arms were roughly pushed onto the arms of the chair and strapped down with the leather restraints, his chest and ankles next. This wasn't going to be present, Cisco thought to himself as he pulled on the straps as if he could break them.

Eiling entered with two more guards and the nurse that seemed to be assigned to Cisco since he always seemed to see her whenever something awful was going to happen.

"Hello, Vibe. I thought it was about time you be admitted into gen pop, don't you?" Eiling asked, his eyes locking with Cisco's.

"Whatever," Cisco muttered under his breath. Eiling must have heard, since his collar went off right after, making him scream in agony.

"Now, with that outburst out of the way, nurse, if you would."

The nurse looked as scared as Cisco felt. She crossed the room and disappeared behind the chair, so Cisco could not see her. When she returned, she had a metal rod. Cisco squinted at it, confused. Eiling seemed to know what it was for, though, because he took it from her and walked over to Cisco, a smile on his face. Cisco could feel the heat coming from the metal and his stomach suddenly dropped.

"No, don't you dare! Get away from me now!" Cisco yelled, trying to pull his arm from the reach of Eiling.

The general said nothing as he pushed Cisco's arm down on the arm of the chair roughly, the other hand putting the brand down, the skin hissing with the touch of hot iron.

Cisco cried out loudly, tears pouring out of his eyes as he did. After a minute, the brand was lifted, revealing the number **2**.

"Now," said Eiling, smiling wickedly. "That wasn't so bad. Just five more!"

Cisco fainted before the entirety of **287738** was branded onto his right wrist, not even awake for when **VIBE** was branded onto the left wrist.

* * *

Felicity sighed as images and text quickly ran across the computer screen, the program she had created working to find any CCTV footage containing one Francisco Baracus Ramon's face or any reports in cities within a five-hundred-mile radius that mention his name. So far, there was nothing, and she couldn't help but feel disappointed. It wasn't like Cisco had disappeared off the face of the planet, but he could have totally disappeared off the face of _this_ planet. The program was also searching for recent breach energy, and Felicity was really hoping there was none. Not because she didn't want to find Cisco. Because how were they supposed to track where that breach went.

This would be so much easier with The Vibe-

Felicity frowned at her own thought. Is that all Cisco was reduced to in times of crisis? The Vibe, the guy who can see things no one else can. And now that he was gone, they were floundering. Cisco was a bigger part of Team Flash than anyone ever gave him credit for, and Felicity promised herself that when they found him, she would take him to see a movie or something. Whatever he wanted. She just wanted him home.

"Anything?" Caitlin asked as she walked in. She looked tired, her hair pulled up in a messy bun and huge purple bags present under her eyes. Her clothes were also very wrinkled and Felicity could have sworn that the doctor had been wearing the same outfit for three days.

"No, nothing yet. The program is working overtime, though, I'm afraid I'll break the computer," she joked, trying to lighten the mood. Caitlin smiled tightly in response.

"Okay, just... let me know if anything changes, please."

"Yeah I will- Caitlin, when was the last time you slept or showered? No offense sister, but you look terrible."

"I'll sleep when Cisco's home-"

"No," Felicity said, standing from the computer. "You'll sleep now. Cisco would not want to see you like this, especially on his behalf. Go take a shower, eat something that isn't coffee, and sleep. Please, for Cisco's sake?"

Caitlin looked down at her feet, not saying anything for a moment. Finally, she nodded, walking past Felicity and out of the lab. Felicity could only hope she was going home, or at least to a bed that S.T.A.R. Labs had stashed in the back for situations like this. Barry passed her as he entered, still wearing his Flash suit from searching the city.

"Hey, how's the scan going?" Barry asked hopefully. Obviously, the search hadn't been successful.

"Nothing so far, but if Cisco shows his face or is admitted to a hospital or police station, I'll know."

Barry looked over her shoulder at the screen, his eyebrows furrowed. "Only within five-hundred miles?"

Felicity sighed. Now he sounded like Oliver. "Damn it, Jim, I'm a hacker, not a miracle worker. There's only so much I can put in a program at first. Let's rule out close to home before we scan Gotham City and Metropolist, okay?"

Barry nodded sheepishly, feeling bad for questioning Felicity's methods. He chalked all this up to just nerves. No one on Team Flash had ever been gone this long. They were always found within hours or at least days. A week and a half had never gone by before finding a friend. Barry felt as if he had let Cisco down. He should be trying harder to get him back, not arguing with Felicity about search parameters or searching the same ten damn places in Central City for his best friend.

He should be doing more.

"Is there anything I can do?" Barry asked the hacker, who was currently staring at the screen, coffee cup in hand. Barry could see the information fly by in the reflection of her glasses.

"No, not really. I'm sorry, Barry, but right now it's really a waiting game. You know that."

Barry did know that, better than most. 

"Okay..." he sighed, trailing off but not saying anything else. 

They really needed Cisco back, and fast.

* * *

Cisco blinked his eyes open and the first thing he realized was that his arms hurt like hell.

He looked down and almost fainted at the sight of the new brands that covered his arms. It looked like he would be wearing long-sleeve shirts for the rest of his life, he thought as he tried to push himself up into a sitting position without touching the raw skin. That's when he realized a second thing.

He was not back in his cell.

Cisco looked around as he felt his stomach tie into a huge knot. He was still in a cell, of course, but this one resembled one you might see in the back of a police station for drunk guys to sober up in. There was only one wall to the cell, the rest was bars. There was a bucket once again in the corner of the cell, but no other furniture. Cisco also noticed he wasn't alone. There were other people imprisoned within the cells, each having their own.

Everyone was deadly quiet as if saying a single word would lead to punishment, which Cisco assumed it would. Everyone else seemed to be wearing the same scrubs as him and they all had the thin metal collars around their throats. This wasn't an isolated incident then, Cisco thought as he backed himself into the wall, trying to stay as far away from the cell door as possible. This wasn't just about Vibe or Team Flash.

Eiling was experimenting on any Metas he found.

Cisco looked around, hoping he would maybe recognize one of the other prisoners as one Team Flash had caught in the past. No faces really stood out to him and he closed his eyes, hoping to get some sleep before Eiling's next torture session.

That was until a voice called his name.

" _Ramon_ , funny seeing you here. They really just let _any_ Meta in, huh?"

Cisco looked over to the cell next to his to see Hartley Rathaway.

* * *

Hartley Rathaway liked to think of himself as a good person deep, deep, _deep_ down.

Sure, he had done some bad things, but all good people do bad things sometimes. Just because you go against the Flash does not mean you're bad. And it definitely doesn't mean you should be locked in a Meta prison against your will where they experiment on you. See, that's just not an equal trade.

He had been doing fine on his own, in all actuality. He was reformed, as he liked to say. No more trouble and no more fights with Barry Allen and his A-Team. However, the universe didn't seem to realize that Hartley had cleaned up his act and had gotten a nice apartment with an even nicer boyfriend. They were going to get a dog next month. Things were getting serious.

Then all of a sudden, he found himself in this tin can of a Geneva Convention violation with no hope to get back to his life before. His boyfriend probably thought he was fucking dead. So much for corgi shopping, he had thought bitterly.

It had been about three weeks he thought, though there wasn't really any sense of time besides mealtime and torture time. Why this General Eiling guy wanted anything to do with his meta abilities was beyond him. Super hearing wasn't even that cool. It was just really fucking painful ever since they took his hearing aids, thinking he could escape using them. He could, but that wasn't really the point.

And now here he sat next to a man he had never really liked, both in the same shitty situation as the other with nowhere to go.

"Rathaway," Ramon replied, his eyes for once not glaring daggers into the other man. "You come here often?"

"Harharhar, Ramon, you're so funny."

"That's what everybody tells me," Ramon answered simply. "How's it been, man?"

"You mean besides the torture?" Hartley asked a chuckle following the question. "You just be lucky Vibe isn't as long as Pied Piper," he said, raising his arms to show Ramon the brands he had gotten two weeks ago. 

"Lucky me," Ramon mumbled, not sounding very lucky at all. 

Hartley shrugged, looking towards the door of his cell. "Maybe if we're lucky they'll finally kill us today."

"I've never been that lucky before," Ramon informed. "And besides, Barry's looking."

"How do you even know- oh, right, you have that vision thing-"

"-Vibes," interjected Ramon.

"-yeah, _Vibes_ , whatever. Vibes, you have that Vibe thing. Did you see how close they were?"

"No," Ramon admitted, picking at the hem of his shirt. "Just that they were looking."

"Well, Vibe it again," Hartley said, now turning his attention to Ramon.

"That's not how it works, Hartley, I can't just turn it on and off. I gotta have an object at least. The only reason I did it last time was because-"

Ramon cut himself off, looking away from Hartley and back to his shirt hem.

"Because what, Ramon? C'mon, you can tell me anything, this is kinda a _Brokeback Mountain_ situation, after all."

Ramon laughed. "This is _nothing_ like _Brokeback Mountain_."

Hartley waited for him to talk again, but he didn't. "Ramon... _Cisco_ , please tell me."

Cisco sighed heavily, then turned to look at Hartley. "They gave me electroshock treatment to make me Vibe. That's when I saw that Barry was looking for me."

Hartley didn't say anything for a moment, just nodded as if thinking everything over. "Thank you for telling me that. I understand it was difficult."

Cisco laughed again. 'Man, prison has changed you!"

Hartley wished he could reach through the bars and strangle Cisco to death.


	7. This Means War

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kinda short chapter again, I'm sorry. The first semester is almost over, then I will have more time to write.
> 
> Thanks for the comments! I love you guys!
> 
> On to the chapter!!!

> “Yeah, well... Luck hasn't exactly been on my side lately…”
> 
> _Bucky Barnes, Winter Soldier Volume 1, Issue 1_

* * *

Harry Wells couldn’t help but realize how quiet the workshop was without Cisco Ramon. No one else would dare enter, but Harry had work to do and he didn’t have time to memorialize the workshop to Cisco’s memory like the rest of Team Flash. People could call him heartless and cruel, but his work was important.

Hopefully, it would bring Cisco home.

He didn’t expect anyone at S.T.A.R. Labs to understand. They never did when it came to him. The only person who ever seemed to make an effort to understand Harry’s thoughts was currently missing. Deep down, that cut Harry. He could pretend to not care all day, but he did rather enjoy the company of Cisco (in moderation, of course).

No one knew where Cisco was or who had taken him, but Harry had his own suspicions. He wasn’t, however, about to share them with the team without being one-hundred percent sure that he was right. And proving he was right required a bit of hacking.

Hacking was much more Cisco’s thing than Harry’s, and he knew Felicity Smoak was good at it, but he didn’t know her that well and didn’t think he could trust her not to blab her mouth off to her boy toy vigilante or anyone else on Team Flash. 

So Harry would have to hack security cameras at all of General Wade Eiling’s known facilities himself. Because if there was one man who knew the team’s secret identities and could do something about it, it was him. And apparently, only Harry had thought of that.

It was hard being the smartest man alive sometimes.

* * *

Hartley awoke to the sound of heavy boots walking down the hallway that accessed the cages that held the Meta prisoners. He looked over towards Cisco, who was still sleeping. Soon, he would probably wake at the sound of boots on concrete as well. It came with the territory, he supposed. 

The boots were coming towards his cell and he could feel his heart beat rapidly in his chest. Were they coming for him? The last time they had him they had cut off his pinky toe to see if he had regeneration (which he totally fucking didn’t) and Hartley could still feel the dull pain in his foot. However, it appeared that they weren’t heading to his cell, but to the one next to his.

Cisco’s.

Hartley watched as they unlocked the cell’s door, Cisco’s eyes shooting open at the noise. He looked over, trying to keep a brave face, though Hartley could see right through it. He assumed the guards could as well, but he said nothing.

“Get up, Inmate,” A guard barked at Cisco, glaring down at where he laid on the cold ground.

Cisco pushed himself up to his feet, trying not to put presure on his injured right hand. Hartley noticed he was swaying slightly, which for some reason worried him. This confused him because he had never really given a shit about Cisco in the past. This was an entirely new feeling that he wasn’t sure he liked that much. 

The guards roughly took a Cisco arm each and dragged him away to what Hartley assumed was Torture 101 with everyone’s least favorite professor, Eiling. He knew it was awful and wicked, but he was at least glad it wasn’t him. Though, if it was Hartley’s choice, he would have picked any other Meta in the place than Cisco. Cisco was nice, a lot nicer than him, and he didn’t deserve any of this.

Hartley at times couldn’t help but feel like maybe he deserved a little of what was happening to him.

* * *

The damned electroshock room.

Cisco dug his feet into the ground when he saw it, trying his best to fight off the guards and their hold on his limbs. The only thing he managed to do was cut the soles of his feet up on the rough ground. The guards didn’t care, though. They threw him down onto the hard metal table that Cisco hated with a burning passion and strapped him down. When Cisco squirmed to get loose, they smacked him roughly in the face. He knew there were going to be bruises there, but it was the last thing on his mind at the moment.

Eiling walked in with Florence Nightingale, who still wouldn’t make eye contact with Cisco. He didn’t exactly know what her deal was, but again, it wasn’t one of the most prevalent thoughts he had currently.

The General said nothing, only nodded at the nurse, who moved to attach the electrodes. Cisco tried to move his head away, but the guards held it in place. This time around, though, they gave him a bite guard, which he wasn’t sure he was very grateful for.

“Start at eight-hundred,” Eiling said to the nurse.

Cisco screamed through the bite guard but no one seemed to listen or care.

The electricity began to pulse through his body as he was thrown into a Vibe immediately. 

* * *

_ It was S.T.A.R. Labs again, though not the same room as before. It was his workshop. G-d, how he had missed this place. He expected it to be empty, but Harry was sitting at his desk, typing something into the computer. _

_ “What are you working on?” Cisco asked, walking towards the man to take a closer look at the computer screen. _

_ It appeared to be security camera footage, though of where Cisco wasn’t sure. He watched Harry type some more commands into the computer and he caught a name labeling one of the videos. _

_ “ ‘Eiling,’ ” Cisco read-out-loud. “Harry, yes! Eiling, that’s it, you’ve got it!” _

_ Cisco reached out to touch Harry, his hand going through the man’s shoulder. However, he turned, as if someone had just tapped his arm. _

_ “Harry, can you see my Force ghost?” Cisco asked in shock. _

_ “Ramon. Is that you?” Harry asked, looking around the workshop as if Cisco was simply hiding. _

_ “Yes! It’s me, Harry, and you’re right! It’s Eiling!” _

_ “Knock something over. So I know.” _

_ Cisco wasn’t sure how to do that. He had never touched something in his Vibes before. But he wasn’t one to give up so easily, so he moved his hand to knock the coffee cup off the desk. It crashed to the floor and broke into a million pieces. _

_ “Dude,” Cisco said, looking at his hand as if it was magical. “I full-on Swayze’d that mother.” _

_ Harry laughed, smiling brightly as he stood from the desk. “Ramon, you’ve done it! Okay, Eiling, am I right about him? Cliche, I know, but one knock for yes, two for no.” _

_ Cisco knocked loudly once on the desk. He was sure for a minute if Harry had heard, but the doctor reacted the same way he had to the mug falling. _

_ “We’re going to get you, Cisco. Don’t worry. Just, stay alive for a little bit longer, okay?” _

_ Cisco knocked once again and smiled as the Vibe ended. _

* * *

Hartley looked up when they brought Cisco back in. He looked terrible. There were bruises beginning to form on his cheeks, most likely from slaps, his nose was bleeding heavily, and his forehead had burns on it. That meant only one thing and it made Hartley sick.

The guards threw Cisco back into his cell, not caring if he landed on his still-fresh brands (which he did). The door locked behind Cisco and he was silent until they could no longer hear the boots on the floor.

“Hartley, I Vibed Harry and I was able to communicate with him. He knew Eiling had me.”

Cisco said all of this quickly and in a whisper, so it took Hartley a moment to process it.

“You did not,” Hartley argued, not believing that they had gotten this lucky.

“I’m telling the truth. They just have to find which facility we’re at and they’ll come and rescue us, Hartley.”

Hartley shook his head. “There’s no way it’ll be that simple. Eiling owns hundreds of buildings, and there’s no guarantee that Allen won’t be kidnapped as well. This will take time, even if they do know that Eiling’s the one that took you.”

Cisco nodded, though he didn’t really seem to be listening. “No, I know that! But they’re one step closer and that’s what matters, Hart!”

Hartley didn’t reply. He didn’t want to get his hopes up. He had already resided himself to dying in this hell hole. There was no need for false hope. 

“You’ll see,” Cisco continued. “Barry will come.”

Hartley wasn’t one to believe in G-d, but he prayed Cisco was right.


	8. I Can be a Handful, but That's Why You Have Two Hands

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all in the last chapter seem to be very excited that the team is close to finding Cisco, but you also underestimate me and my plot-twists...
> 
> enjoy... :)

> "If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals."
> 
> _\- Siruis Black, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire_

* * *

When the sounds of boots echoing off the cement walls were heard once more, Cisco couldn't help but assume they were coming for him. It wasn't as if Eiling only focused his energy and attention on Cisco, he just noticed that when it came down to it, he was the one being dragged from his cell the most. Which scared the crap out of him, to say the least.

However, the guards' eyes were not on Cisco this time. They were coming for Hartley.

Cisco and Hartley had never been the greatest of friends, especially since the first day they met, but situations were different now. Cisco didn't want to see Hartley die in this place before help came. He had been here longer than Cisco, though he didn't know how much linger since he really didn't want to ask. When he looked over to Hartley, the man looked as normal as ever, but Cisco knew better. He was terrifed.

"Hey!" Cisco yelled at the guards, alarming them as well as Hartley, who had been trying his best to put a brave face on. "Why don't you take me instead, huh?"

"Cisco, don't!" Hartley hissed, his eyes darting from the two guards to the man in the cell next to him.

Cisco didn't listen, though perhaps he hadn't heard the other man. He stood (though Hartley noticed it was with some difficulty since his hands were still damaged) and placed himself at the door of the cell, staring the guards down as he did. "Let's go! C'mon!"

Hartley remained silent as he watched the event unfold, too scared to say anything. What were they going to do to Cisco?

The engineer soon got his answer as he watched as the guards unlocked Cisco's cell and took him roughly by the arms, dragging him out.

"Wait, no, Cisco! Stop!" Hartley begged, though no one seemed to listen to he pleas. "Cisco, you damn fool!"

Hartley watched as they dragged Cisco away, the young man's feet dragging against the floor as the guards took him away.

Cisco knew the consequences of his decision was going to cost him but at the moment he couldn't seem to care that much. If it meant Hartley wasn't cut into or beaten for at least one more day, that was enough for him. He wished he could take every Meta's pain and punishment, but he wasn't stupid enough to think that was humanly possible, He could only hope that Harry had told the rest of the team about Eiling and that Barry was on his way.

When the guards and Cisco entered one of the examination rooms, only Eiling was waiting and he looked a bit puzzled.

"This isn't Pied Piper, you morons," he said simply as if the guards had just mistaken Cisco for Hartley. Because they just looked so similar, Cisco thought.

"No, Sir. This one was mouthing off. Wanted to take Piper's place."

Eiling nodded slowly, walking over to Cisco as he did. "Did it now? Is that true, Vibe?"

"Yes, Sir," Cisco answered, locking eyes with Eiling as he did. 

"Well, then I suppose it can be used today. Bring me my tools."

The two guards dropped Cisco on the ground as if he was a sack of flour. He groaned slightly, but didn't try to get up.

"Now, Vibe. What we were going to work on with Pied Piper today you will be participating in, of course. But as punishment for going against my orders, there will be something else as well."

Cisco didn't reply, only allowed the men to push him onto the examination table and strap him down. He wanted to fight, but he knew that Hartley was meant to be in his place and he was afraid they would just go get him to hurt instead.

A tray full of syringes was rolled over to the table. Cisco looked over to see the nurse. They must have recently called her in. She looked the same as ever, Cisco noted. He squinted to read the labels on the syringes, but they only said things like 'Sample A' and 'Sample B,' though Cisco assumed he wouldn't want any of those injected into him.

They all were, all twenty-three syringes. They ran out of room on his right shoulder and were forced to more to the left. After the sixth, he no longer could feel when the needle pierced his skin. He wasn't sure if that was good or not. He did, however, marvel at the fact that he did not cry out even once during the experiment. He felt very proud about that.

Soon, the guards removed the restraints and Cisco had almost forgotten about Eiling's punishment, until one of the guards forced his shirt off.

"Ready, Vibe?"

"Do your worse," Cisco answered.

The guard who had taken his shirt pushed him to the ground. Cisco was confused for only half a second. That was when Eiling brought a whip down on his bare back. All pride in not crying during the needles left him as he yelped in anguish.

"Twenty-three lashes for twenty-three chemicals we could have tested on Pied Piper," Eiling stated matter-of-factly as the whip went down once more.

Cisco continued to cry in pain, his back becoming raw and cut, blood pouring down, so much that Cisco worried he would need a transfusion. Not like they would give him one here. Eiling certainly was doing his worse.

* * *

Hartley shot up when he heard the doors open. He leaned against the cage's door, trying to see Cisco. He almost threw up at the sight.

Cisco was unconscious, or at least Hartley hoped he was. He was bare chested and his back was a bloody mess. There didn't seem to be one part of his torso that wasn't covered in blood. So much blood. Too much blood. The kind of amount you would see on a crime show. Too much to be coming from someone alive. Oh G-d, what if Cisco wasn't alive? What if they had brought him back as a sort of example, a head on a spike in London.

The guards unlocked the cell and threw Cisco into it without any care. His discarded shirt came next before it was locked. When the guards walked away, Hartley rushed to the side of the cell.

"Cisco. Cisco, oh my G-d, Cisco..."

Hartley saw him twitch, the only sign he wasn't dead. Hartley reached into the cell as best as he could, streaching his arm as far as it would go.

Cisco took Hartley's hand in his and squeezed as Hartley let out a managed sob in response, tears pouring down his cheeks.

"Don't ever do that again, _ever_ , you asshole. I hate you. I hate you so much. I'm so glad you're not dead, but I fucking hate you."

"Yo también te quiero," Cisco replied in a soft raspy voice that Hartley would not have been able to hear if not for his Meta hearing.

_I love you, too._

* * *

"Are you sure this wasn't a dream?" Ralph questioned, his voice showing doubt.

"This was no dream. Ramon was there, in a Vibe, and he confirmed it was Eiling," Harry answered, looking around the room for someone to believe him.

No one looked very convinced.

"What? You don't believe me?" Harry demanded.

"Harry, we've all been under a lot of stress-" Caitlin started.

"I am not stressed, Snow. I know what I saw. Cisco told us where to find him."

"But Eiling? He's shady, but would he kidnap someone?" Barry questioned, his arms crossed against his chest.

"Hasn't he done it before?" Iris questioned.

"We don't have time for this," Harry said exasperated. "We know where Ramon is, no go and get him."

"It's not that simple. Eiling owns hundreds of facilities," Felicity said from the computer. She turned the monitor as if to prove her point.

"Yeah, he may own a lot of buildings, but how many with Meta dampeners?"

Felicity shook her head. "I... I don't know."

"Can't I just check them all out and see which ones have the dampeners?" Barry questioned.

"Isn't that dangerous, going in blind?" Caitlin asked.

"I wouldn't go in by myself. I'd get back-up. I'd come back. Eiling took Cisco for a reason, and he had just contacted Harry. He's not dead yet."

"Yeah, but we don't know how long that's gonna last," Oliver chimed in. "Felicity, give him the list. Go, Barry."

Barry didn't need another word. Once Felicity confirmed she transferred the list to his phone, he sped off, only lightning left in his wake.

"I'll find you, Cisco," he promised to himself as he ran.

* * *

Eiling may have own many buildings, but so far they all were normal military storage units. There were so many, in fact, that Barry was beginning to get bored, and so was the rest of the team at S.T.A.R. Labs.

It had been an hour and a half since Barry left, which was ages for The Flash to be gone. They were trying their best to patiently wait by the comms, but everyone was becoming extremely antsy, though no one wanted to leave in case that was the exact moment Barry found where Cisco was being held.

Oliver was in his Arrow uniform, standing in the corner and staring at the comms as if willing them to light up. He was the only one who hadn't been squirming with anticipation.

"Guys."

Everyone rushed towards the comms, except Oliver, who only looked up from his corner. 

"I..." A laugh. "I think I found it. Powerful, and I mean powerful, dampeners. Sending coordinates now. Be back in a flash."

Oliver took his bow in his hand as Iris, Caitlin, and Felicity cheered.

"He's not home yet," Oliver reminded them, though they said nothing in response.

Ralph stood next to him, also in his suit and ready. The plan was that Oliver would go in first to disable the dampeners (which Felicity had given him a crash course in) so that Barry and Ralph could join. Then they would find Cisco. If there were others, they would try to save them as well, but everyone agreed that Cisco came first.

Barry appeared in the comms room, a small smile on his face. "You guys ready?"

Oliver and Ralph nodded.

"Bring our boy home!" Felicity cried as the three men disappeared. 

* * *

It took thirty-six seconds to get to Edgar Springs, Missouri from Central City, though to Barry it felt longer. It was like he had lead in his shoes, though he knew he wasn't any slower. It was just the thought of finally finding Cisco after two weeks. They were so close.

"I'll let you know when I'm clear," Oliver said, tapping his ear piece as he walked towards the building.

It looked normal, too normal in fact. It was abandoned-looking, of course, but even when Oliver entered, he couldn't help but think that the entire place was just too normal. If not for the extensive Meta dampeners in the corners of each hallway, Oliver would have thought they had the wrong place. He followed the blue prints Felicity had sent him, looking for the room she had said would most likely be their central control for security. 

The entire place was also quiet, and that also put Oliver off. There weren't sounds of screams or any machinery running. Not even a heater could be heard. What if this was the wong place? What if they had just not shut their dampeners off before leaving the lot vacant? What if this was a trap?

Oliver treaded more carefully than he already was at that thought, walking quietly through the halls until he found the room he was looking for. The door was open a crack and he could see one man sitting there, oblivious to Oliver's presence. Before he could alert anyone, Oliver shot an arrow into the man's chest. He had no remorse for the people who had kidnapped his friend.

He pushed the door open, ignoring the body as he moved towards the computer. Remembering what Felicity had told him, he typed in a few commands and the Meta dampeners were disengaged.

"They're down," Oliver said into his comm. "Come on in."

He was instantly met with The Flash and Enlongated Man, who had smirks on their faces under their masks.

"Let's go find him."

* * *

Something was different. Hartley noticed it right away, but he wasn't sure what it was exactly. It was something in the air, a feeling. 

His hand still held Cisco's tightly. He had fallen asleep a few minutes ago and Hartley was glad for that. Cisco needed rest. Well, what he actually needed was not to be locked up by psychopaths, but rest was the best they could do right now.

What was that? Hartley looked around as if the answer was painted on the walls.

That's when he finally realized. There was no sound. The sound the dampeners made that no one could hear but him. It was gone.

Someone had turned the dampeners off.

"Cisco, Cisco, wake up!" Hartley whispered, shaking the man as gently as he could.

"Hmm?" Moaned Cisco, obviously not very happy about being awoken.

"Someone turned off the dampeners. Cisco, we can escape!"

"¿Eso es sabio?" Cisco replied, not opening his eyes.

"Yes, it's wise, Cisco, we don't know how long they'll be off or if they'll ever be off again! I know your back hurts and you're in pain, but we have to go, Cisco, please!"

"Déjame aquí y vete."

Hartley furrowed his eyebrows in anger. " _No_ , I will _not_ leave you here. Get up, Cisco, c'mon, I know you can do it."

Their conversation had caught the attention of the other Metas, who, after noticing they had their powers, had begun to break through the cell doors in any way they could. The entire hallway erupted in noise and Hartley feared the guards would hear.

"Cisco, hurry, please!" Hartley begged, watching as one Meta who could bend metal was currently making large holes in the doors of every cell he passed. He had already gotten to Hartley and Cisco's, smiling brightly at the two as he passed. "We don't have much time!"

"Me duelen los huesos. Me duele la cabeza. Me duele todo, eso es lo que me inyectaron. Hartley, soy un peso muerto. Vamos."

_My bones ache. I have a headache. Everything hurts, that's what they injected me with. See, Hartley, I'm dead weight. Go._

Hartley wanted to cry. He rushed from his cell and into Cisco's to get closer. "I bet Allen's here. C'mon, Cisco, don't you want to see him? Don't you want to go home?"

Cisco weakly shook his head. "Quiero morirme."

"I will not let you die, Cisco Ramon!" Hartley yelled.

The doors burst open and dozens of guards filed in, tazer guns in hands to subdue the inmates. Eiling walked in after them, beating down any Meta that tried to slip past him.

"Cisco, Cisco, it's Eiling, we gotta go!"

It was almost as if Eiling heard Hartley say his name. He might of, Hartley had no idea if he was whispering or shouting. The General said something to two guards and they came towards Hartley and Cisco.

"Cisco..." Hartley said impatiently, standing at the last second to give the two guards one of his sonic screams, sending them flying back on their asses.

"Stay the fuck away from him!" Hartley yelled.

* * *

"Stay the fuck away from him!"

They all heard it. It was hard not to.

"This way," Barry said, running at a normal speed ahead of the group to where the shout had come from.

The three heroes were met with a hallway of cages that had once held Metas. Now that the dampeners had been shut off, they were fighting back. Oliver scanned the area for Cisco. He didn't see him up and fighting, which scared him.

"I'm warning you," the same person from before yelled. "I will kill you!"

Barry looked towards the source and felt his heart stop.

"Is that..." Oliver started,

"Hartley Rathaway," Barry finished, rushing over. Oliver was close behind, shooting the two guards who Hartley was currently threatening. Ralph began to fight off the other guards.

"Rathaway, what-"

Barry was cut off. "Cisco's hurt, you need to get him out of here now!" Hartley said sternly, pointing to the person on the ground that they hadn't noticed at first.

"Oh my G-d, Cisco!" Barry leaned down to examine his injured. "Oh, G-d."

"Allen, go!" Hartley begged. "I can hold them off, just get him out of here!"

"Not so fast, Mr. Allen," a new voice said.

The men looked up to see General Eiling surrounded by guards. They looked for Ralph, but he was busy fighting off a man who was trying to kill a young girl with fire powers.

"Get out of our way, Eiling."

"No, Mr. Allen, I don't think I will. See, all these Metas here are valuable to me, but none more than Vibe. It's mine."

"Cisco is not an object, he's a human being," Oliver said darkly, staring the General down.

"No, it's a filthy Meta. Now, we can do this the hard way or the easy way. You choose."

Barry's eyes flickered with lightning as he went to punch Eiling. The General, in response, snapped a pair of Meta cuffs on the speedster. Barry was shocked, but Oliver was quick to act, drawing his bow to shoot one of the guards. He made it, but felt a strong hand wrap around his left wrist, breaking it like it was a twig. Oliver cried out, dropping his bow in the process. Hartley also seemed to have found himself in Meta cuffs, though that didn't stop him from kicking a guard in between his legs. 

Two other guards picked up Cisco's motionless body, not caring that he cried out in protest.

"Wait, don't!" Barry yelled, moving towards the men who had taken Cisco but being stopped by Eiling's hand.

"You lose this round, Flash," he said, an evil smirk on his face as he nodded to the men. Oliver ran towards the men but was stopped by a hard punch delivered by Eiling followed by a kick to the stomach after he fell.

"Cisco, wait Cisco! No!" Hartley cried, running after the men as best as he could, crying out in frustration when he lost them in the crowd of Metas trying to escape.

When the team regained their bearings, Cisco and Eiling were gone.


	9. How Can I Help What You Think?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY! I'M EVIL I KNOW!!!!
> 
> I like, kinda have an idea of how I will end this fic (and maybe I will do a sequel with Cisco's recovery if people want it) but I also feel like y'all are gonna think I'm jumping the shark lmao I hope that's not the cause!
> 
> Also, I haven't been translating really common Spanish words, like si, mama, lo siento, donde esta, etc. because I feel like people know those? But if not, you can let me know and I'll translate everything! It's no problem!
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter!

> “Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.”
> 
> _\- Oscar Wilde_

* * *

Hartley never thought he would see S.T.A.R. Labs again, least of all its employees, yet here he was in the medical bay with Caitlin Snow, who was applying burn cream to his brands (even though he told her not to bother). He didn't really care enough to worry if there were any hard feelings, though. All he could think about was bringing Cisco home.

They had come so close, so close that Hartley thought that they wouldn't fail. But they did fail and Hartley couldn't help but blame himself. What if he had been more forceful with Cisco? What if he had bypassed the talking and went right into dragging him out of that damn place? He knew logically none of this was his fault, but that didn't make him feel any better.

Barry also seemed to be having some guilt of his own, though Hartley wasn't aware of the cause like everyone else at S.T.A.R. Labs. He was alone in Cisco's workshop and had been there since they had returned from Eiling's Meta base. They had called in Joe and the rest of the CCPD to help with the remaining Metas (despite Singh saying it wasn't their jurisdiction, he offered the local force his complete support). They all seemed to be fine according to Joe, so now Barry was having himself a depressive episode.

There was an individual that Hartley had not met and that person turned out to be Dante Ramon, Cisco's older brother. Hartley wanted to cry. He hadn't even know Cisco had a brother and they had worked together! Though, Hartley couldn't fault himself too much on that, since they were at each other's throats while employed at S.T.A.R. Labs. Dante was sitting quietly in the corner of the comms room and had not spoken since Barry told him what had happened. He looked ready to punch a wall, though, so Hartley noted to keep his distance.

"You're all good, Hartley," Caitlin said after finishing wrapping some bandages on his arms. He instantly folded his arms in to cover the brands that were already covered by gauze.

"Thanks," he mumbled, not meeting her eyes as he slid off the examination table. He knew Caitlin wasn't going to hurt him, but all the medical equipment made him warry.

"Hartley, wait," she said, not touching his arm like he knew she wanted to.

"It's not your fault," she continued, smiling at him when he turned to face her. "You did the best you could."

"My best may have gotten him killed," Hartley replied darkly. He turned and walked out of the medical unit and out of the comms room, down the hallway. He didn't actually know where he was going and he knew he knew that. He pushed his back against the wall and slid down, sitting in the hallway with his legs pulled to his chest, and his head buried in his knees.

He cried.

* * *

For the first time in weeks, Cisco woke up on a bed, chest down with no shirt.

It was such a surprise that his eyes opened wide and he looked around, thinking he was home and that the rescue mission (or at least what he remembered from it) had gone well.

He was met with a room that was too plain to be a hospital room and not familiar enough to be Caitlin's med lab. His heart sank in his chest.

The room was better than the last two cells he had occupied. For one, he did have a bed. It wasn't very comfortable, but it was better than the floor. There were no sheets on it or pillows and blankets, but that wasn't very concerning to Cisco at the moment. There was a heavy door like the one from the first cell and Cisco knew for a fact it was locked. In the corner perpendicular to the bed were a toilet and sink, like something you would see in a prison cell. This was indeed an upgrade, though Cisco feared its cost.

He tried to get out of bed and was met with immense pain coming from his back. With pain came his memories flooding back to his brain. _The needles. The whip. The pain. Hartley._

Where was Hartley? Why had they moved him anyway? Were his injuries that bad? They felt that bad. He knew his back must have looked a mess and he wasn't sure what they had injected him with or what its effect would be. 

Cisco shifted his body into a more comfortable position, trying his best to not put pressure on both his back and forearms. He closed his eyes once more, hoping he would just fall asleep. That's all he wanted to do anyway. Everything around him was out of his control, but he could sleep, at least when they left him alone. He prayed they left him alone for at least a little bit. His back was very sore and there was pain in other parts of his body that he wasn't able to locate. Everything hurt, like a needle drilling into his entire body. That wasn't possible, of course, but that's what it felt like. He wished Caitlin was here to fix him and tell him that everything would be okay. She was so nice when people were hurt, especially Cisco. He missed her so much. He wasn't sure if he would even make it out of here to see her again. He shook his head slightly. Caitlin wouldn't want him to think like that.

Cisco smiled as he thought of Caitlin and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"It's been more active recently."

The man in the black mask did not reply instantly, he only watched from the rooftops at the particular building the two were currently discussing.

"I know. I can tell."

The other man sneered. "What are you going to do about it? Are you going to tell him?"

It was the man in the black mask's turn to sneer. "I don't tell him everything. We can handle things ourselves. We don't need him poking his nose in places it doesn't belong. Besides, he has his own agenda, he's too busy to care."

"I heard not even The Flash and The Arrow could handle the first one themselves," replied the man, his own mask hiding his facial features. "What makes you so sure we can do this?"

"I'm not the fucking Flash and you're not fucking Arrow, that's what makes me sure," replied the man, his eyes dark as he focused his gaze from the building to the other man.

"They're overrated," agreed the man, his arms crossed. "But I hear good looking. Perhaps not as much as me, but definitely you."

"Funny," the man replied dead-pan.

They stood in silence once more, before the first man spoke once more. "When?"

"Soon," the man in the black mask stated. "There's work to do first."

The man smiled under his mask. "Hey, since when don't you tell him everything? I thought you were the best of pals."

"Where the hell have you been, man? I haven't spilled my guts since age fourteen," replied the man in a joking manner before he jumped from the building's roof, doing a flip in the air as he did, landing perfectly onto the pavement below.

"Show off," muttered the other man as he joined the man in the black mask below.

* * *

Cisco woke up again, this time to a food tray in the middle of the room waiting.

He made no move to eat. His body was too sore for him to even consider moving. He knew he should be more worried about the foreign substances flowing in his bloodstream, but for some reason, he couldn't muster up enough strength to care all that much. That also should have worried him, but it was given the same treatment as the other thoughts he had that told him to be concerned.

Where was Hartley? Hartley should have been here by now. Why weren't they letting him see Hartley? Didn't they know he needed Hartley?

Cisco looked towards the door at the sound of it unlocking. It opened and Eiling stepped in along with the nurse from before. She was finally looking at Cisco, he noted to himself.

"Hello, Vibe. Nice to see you awake," Eiling said in a smug tone.

"¿Dónde está Hartley?" Cisco asked, his voice hoarse from not using it in a while.

Eiling didn't reply, which frustrated Cisco. Didn't he understand English when he heard it? Cisco looked at the nurse, who wrote something down on the clipboard she held in her hands.

"¿Dónde está Hartley?" Cisco tried again, this time to the nurse as he tried to push himself up to a sitting position but failed, his arms giving out and falling uselessly to the mattress.

"Pied Piper is not here," the nurse said in a soft voice. "Pied Piper no está aquí."

Cisco furrowed his eyebrows, confused. Where was he then? Was he in a different cell? Why couldn't they just be together? It didn't make sense, nothing here made sense and everything hurt. Cisco's bones hurt. Why did his bones hurt? Was that normal?

"¿Entonces qué quieres?" Cisco asked softly, his throat feeling like it was closing up like he had been stung by a bee or something. _Then, what do you want?_

"I need to take a blood sample, that's all," the nurse said carefully as if worried she would scare him. Eiling watched from the doorway, no emotion but curiosity present on his face. She walked another step towards him, but all Cisco did was stare at her. 

"Quiero a Hartley," he said hesitantly. He didn't understand why he couldn't have Hartley with him in this room. It was big enough for them both, didn't they see that?

"Hartley -Pied Piper- isn't here right now," the nurse continued walking slowly towards him. "Pied Piper no está aquí."

Cisco nodded, though he didn't really understand. Why wasn't Hartley there? His eyes met the nurse's for the first time since they had met. Her's were blue, Cisco noted as if it was important. She was right next to him, but he didn't feel panicked about it for some reason. 

"Tomaré la muestra de sangre ahora," the nurse said with a small smile that was sort of sad looking. "¿Esta bien?" _I'm going to take the blood sample now. Is that okay?_

"Sí," Cisco replied, watching as she tied the tourniquet around his upper arm tightly, making him wince slightly. The General still said nothing as he took the syringe and pressed it into Cisco's skin, watching as the blood rose into the container for her to test later.

"Lo estás haciendo muy bien," the nurse said, her smile this time less sad. _You're doing very well._

"Gracias," replied Cisco, his eyes not leaving the syringe as if it was the most interesting thing he had ever seen in his entire life. 

Soon it was over and the nurse was removing the needle and replacing it with a small band-aid that she produced from her pocket. She knew the General would not approve of such treatment towards the inmates, but she was hoping he wouldn't see.

"Estará bien, lo prometo," said the nurse as she applied the band-aid, sticking the trash in her pockets when she was finished. _It'll be okay, I promise._

"Bueno," replied Cisco, watching as she stood from where she kneeled on the floor, exiting the room with the General, who still said nothing as the door locked behind them.


	10. You Should Buy a House

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am very sorry that I haven't updated in two days! Hanukkah has been very hectic! I spent all of Thursday cooking and Friday I didn't feel very good (I feel better now btw) so I was resting and watching Gotham and PewDiePie a lot lmao
> 
> I hope you guys like this chapter and that you have a happy Hanukkah (if you celebrate!) and also realize that I am just making chapter titles random things I hear when I write in my background noise (which can be a song or a YouTube video) and don't take them too seriously lol
> 
> also this will be very short and I'm sorry
> 
> ON WITH THE CHAPTER!!!

> "You can't just whack Death on the head!
> 
> If he comes near me, I'm gonna rip his nipples off!"
> 
> _\- Arnold Rimmer to Dave Lister, Red Dwarf_

* * *

Cisco woke up alone in the new cell. He was actually really glad to be alone. He didn't mind the nurse that much, she seemed nice and she spoke Spanish to him. It was Eiling he was worried about. He hadn't seen the man since the nurse took a sample of his blood. He missed Hartley. It had been a very long time since he had seen him. He didn't know exactly how long. It was hard to keep track of the days now, even with the daily meals. A lot of things were hard for Cisco right now. His back didn't hurt as much anymore (he could lay on it now) but there was still definitely something wrong. It must have been something in the syringes, at least that was something he kept telling himself.

His bones still hurt. It was hard to explain. It was as if his entire body ached, but when he rubbed his muscles to help with the pain it never did any good. Nothing ever seemed to work. He had bruises in places he didn't remember being hit in, like on his thighs. He was tired most of the time, though he didn't know if that was because he wasn't getting a lot to eat. 

Where was Hartley. He had been there in the old cell and then they moved him and Hartley wasn't there anymore. Everything was so confusing.

The door was being unlocked. He sat up in bed, his eyes locked on the people coming in.

"Hello, Vibe."

It was Eiling. Cisco shifted his body to be pressed against the wall that the bed was pushed against. He looked warrily at the General, who seemed to enjoy the reaction. The nurse was there too, though she was keeping her distance.

"¡Váyase!" Cisco said softly, though there was still malice in his voice. _Go away._

"Let's talk about your need to speak in only Spanish."

Cisco looked at Eiling in confusion. Was he speaking Spanish? Maybe that was why the nurse had used Spanish with him. He didn't even realize. That was going to be added to the list of Horrible Things Wrong With Me, Cisco thought. 

"Sir, I think it may have something to do with the experimental drugs we injected him with. It could have been 'X'-"

"Thank you, Nurse, but if I wanted your opinion I would have asked for it," Eiling said rudely.

"¡No hable con ella así!" Cisco said, louder than he had intended. _Don't talk to her like that._ He was no longer close to the wall for protection. He was glaring at Eiling despite a little voice telling him to stop before he got himself killed.

"Watch your mouth, Inmate, before I cut your tongue out!" Eiling bit back, returning Cisco's glare.

Cisco stood, a new feeling of power rushing over him.

"¡Ya no puedes controlarnos!" _You can't control us anymore!_

His eyes flashed blue and all of a sudden the General was shot back. The cinderblock walls crumbled and the nurse screamed, just narrowly getting out of the way of a chunk of ceiling falling. Eiling seemed to be trapped under a hunk of brick, but that didn't matter because a dozen guards came running at the sound of the commotion and Cisco fainted, blood pouring out of his nose and ears.

* * *

"We have no idea where he could have been taken and why he was singled out among all the other Metas," Oliver stated, his arms crossed against his chest as he leaned against the wall.

"We'll figure it out. I can make some calls-"

"No," Oliver interrupted Felicity. "We can still handle this ourselves."

"Are you sure?" Felicity wasn't sure herself. It had been a week since the failed attempt and they weren't any closer to finding Cisco. Dante was becoming more and more pissed off and Hartley hadn't come out of Cisco's workshop in days. The team was falling apart and only Felicity seemed to notice. 

"Listen to me, Oliver Queen," Felicity said, standing from her chair. "If we don't find Cisco within three days I will call Kara and I will not be asking your permission for it. _Okay?"_

Oliver didn't reply but Felicity knew he understood.

* * *

The sound of a pen clicking constantly was the only sound heard. He couldn't help it. He did it when he was thinking. And right now he was thinking really hard.

The blueprints to Eiling's building laid rolled-out on his desk, various security checkpoints marked with blue ink from the pen he was currently compulsively clicking. This was going to be difficult. Not impossible, just difficult.

"I got you a coffee- are you still looking at that damn map. Give it a rest."

"I didn't ask for your opinion," he replied, taking the cup from the cardboard holder.

"Did you sleep at all?" he asked, sitting down across the table from him, drinking his own coffee as he watched the other man click his pen like a mad man.

No reply.

"So that's a no then. Look, Dick, listen-"

"Jason if you're gonna keep talking go upstairs and get out of my face. Go help Tim with his homework or some shit."

Jason raised his hands in a surrender position, setting his coffee down next to the map and not on top so he didn't make Dick any more angry. "You need to fucking chill, man. Maybe go sleep or something. I know you're stressed out but you don't have to bite my fucking head off."

Dick sighed, throwing his pen down onto the desk and running his hands over his face. "I know, I know, I'm sorry. It's just... I really want to get those people out of that place."

Jason nodded in understatement. "Me too. But you freaking out isn't gonna save those people. Now, either stop being a little bitch or go nap."

Dick laughed lightly. Leave it to his brother to make him laugh in a time of crisis. "Okay, okay fine. These right here, the circles, are security cameras. We gotta disable them from the central point, here," Dick pointed at a room he had drawn a square around. "I'll do that while you back me up. Then we get those people out of there."

"And if they have guards? Because you know they will, Grayson."

"There's a reason you carry guns, isn't there?" Dick smiled smuggly.

Jason nodded in agreement. "I guess you're right. Okay. When do we go?"

"Tonight. We're getting them out tonight. Eiling's gonna regret ever coming to Gotham."


	11. Cisco Ramon's WebMD Search History and Bruce Wayne's Inability to Process Human Emotions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! i'm sorry it's been a while, I had major writer's block! also, i injured my left pointer finger slightly because i had a hang nail i ripped out and i have been using WASD a lot cause I've been online gaming. this is no excuse, but i thought a gaming injury was both hilarious and pathetic lmao
> 
> i hope you enjoy the chapter and know that soon Cisco will be saved! and with that, the fic will end shortly and i will start on the sequel that covers his recovery <3

> “I’m just a simple man trying to make my way in the universe.”
> 
> _-Jango Fett, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones_

* * *

Sample X was their most promising one. It was the one currently affecting the inmate Vibe. They kept tabs on their test subjects and those tabs were very detailed. According to Eiling's nurse (who wasn't actually a nurse at all, but Dr. Lee Thompkins, who was less of an asset to the team than they actually thought) Vibe was suffering from aches in it's bones, headaches, low appetite, and malnutrition (her hypnosis being that the malnutrition was due to it's low appetite). There had been an incident two days ago involving Vibe finding a large surge in it's powers despite the Meta dampeners installed in it's cell. General Eiling currently had a broken leg and seemed to hate the Meta even more (if that was even possible). 

The inmate was different than what it had looked like when it entered into the care of Eiling and Dr. Thompkins. It was skinner, perhaps it had lost about twenty pounds. It was refusing to eat, though Dr. Thompkins did not think that was on purpose. It's hair had grown about an inch, though it had long hair to begin with. It was always tangled and looked like a rat's nest. It was only given a shower once a week, and the shower consisted of the guards taking a hose to it's naked body and spraying ice-cold water on it as it cried out in pain and misery. There was bruising on it's body, both from what was inflicted on it and a side effect of Sample X. It's feet were torn up and calloused over from not wearing shoes for about a month. It's uniform was no longer a light gray, but a murky brown, stained by blood and the filth of past living conditions. It's collar was still tightly welded against it's neck, causing scars from the metal rubbing against it's skin. It's right hand had crooked fingers that had healed that way from when Eiling had smashed it with a hammer. They still worked, but it had difficulty using utensils sometimes and the hand had the tendency to shake. The palms of it's hands had many zig-zagging scars on them from when the sonic blasts cut through it's skin. The lashes on it's back were healing but would permanently scar. There were many surgical scars made by the blade of a scalpel that would be there forever. The brands would also scar it's skin. It looked like a young teenager, maybe fourteen or fifteen, but only Eiling seemed to know a number close to his true age (not like he cared to write it on any forms or tell anyone since nothing mattered to him but Vibe's powers). Dr. Thompkins didn't even know it's real name, let alone birthdate. 

It only spoke in Spanish, what the Doctor correctly assumed was it's first language, and it seemed to not notice that it wasn't speaking English. After finding out that it was speaking in Spanish rather than English, it attempted to speak English, but the only words it could manage were "stop," "no," and "please." Eiling didn't count "no" since it was the same in Spanish as it was in English, but Dr. Thompkins did on her charts. She encouraged it to speak with her since she was fluent in Spanish, and promised their conversations would not be translated for Eiling. She had yet to break her promise. Despite the torture it had experienced, it seemed to trust Dr. Thompkins (or at least more than it trusted anyone else since they were the ones who actually hurt it). It would ask every day where Hartley Rathaway ("AKA Pied Piper" wrote next to the Meta's legal name on all of Dr. Thompkin's medical charts) was and every day Dr. Thompkins had to say that Hartley wasn't here right now, which broke it's heart. It wouldn't tell her any personal information about itself, like it's name or age or where it was from, and Dr. Thompkins assumed it had forgotten since it always said "no lo sé" in response, _I don't know._ Dr. Thompkins made a note of it being due to either trauma or Sample X. She wasn't certain yet.

With the success of Sample X, Vibe would hopefully have stronger powers that they could transfer into others to weaponize it's abilities. That was what Eiling was hoping for, at least. And it was exactly what Dr. Thompkins was worried about. The last thing she wanted was this kid to be made into some military weapon. It- he- deserved a family. He deserved not to be experimented on to see if he was fireproof or had fast healing or could breathe underwater (all things he was unable to do). He deserved love and respect and safety.

That was what Lee was planning on giving him. She just needed some help first.

* * *

"Lee-"

"I'm not talking to you right now, Bruce."

Dr. Lee Thompkins put her hand up to stop him. No one really raised their hand to billionaire Bruce Wayne, so it was a nice change, he thought.

"Leslie, please, we should talk about this-"

Dr. Thompkins didn't look very amused at the notion of talking about anything with Bruce, but she spoke anyway. "How long have I told you about the facility, Bruce? How long have I told you of this poor kid? You've done nothing. _I've_ had to watch him suffer. _You_ haven't."

Bruce sighed deeply. She was right (as she usually was). He had been so busy cleaning up the streets of Gotham, dealing with Joker, Riddler, and Penguin, that he hadn't been thinking of things that weren't right in front of him, like a certain General's human experimentation. Besides, it had only come to Gotham about a week ago (even though Dr. Tompkins had been there from the start looking over things). He had thought she had had it covered, to be honest.

"You're useless sometimes, you know that?"

Bruce wanted to reply, but Dr. Thompkins left in a huff before he could say anything. She hadn't even wanted to come to Wayne Manor in the first place, but Alfred had said on the phone it was "the upmost importance that Mr. Wayne speaks with her" and Dr. Thompkins wasn't one to deny Alfred Pennyworth anything if she could help it. Now, she was beginning to rethink that as she pulled open the heavy front doors and slammed them behind her.

Meanwhile, in the manor, Alfred shared his opinion.

"I believe that went very well, don't you, Master Bruce?"

Bruce ignored him as he walked down to the Batcave to find a way to fix this mess.

* * *

Jason Todd was probably the most impatient person that lived in Wayne Manor. Even Tim, who was seventeen, was more patient than Jason. Even ten-year-old Damian Wayne had more patience. He hadn't been patient when he was Robin and he certainly was less patient as Red Hood, if that was even possible. His adopted brother, Dick Grayson, on the other hand, seemed to be the pinnacle of patience. 

The two knew they had to get to Eiling's warehouse sooner rather than later, but Dick wasn't about to rush in without twelve back-up plans. This was so Dick Grayson of him. He had once been an irresponsible Robin but now he was the ever-vigilant twenty-four-year-old Nightwing who actually thought before he acted. Jason had yet to reach that level of maturity and he wasn't certain he ever would.

"I'm ready," Jason chimed in. "Have been for a while now."

Dick hushed him as he underlined something on the blueprints.

"Okay, I'm gonna say it-"

"Say what?" Dick interrupted.

"We're going tonight. End of story. When night falls, we're out there. Got it?"

Dick weighed his opinions very carefully in his head. Jason was right (G-d, he hated to say that), the captives didn't have much time left. Dick could make plan after plan for as long as he lived, but they had to get in there as soon as possible, and that meant tonight. They didn't know how long some of those people had.

"What are you two doing down here?"

Jason and Dick froze at the sound of Bruce Wayne's voice. Dick quickly folded the blueprints and threw them under the desk, pulling out a notebook that was blank. Jason tried his best to act natural, but it was hard since he naturally looked like he was up to no good.

"Studying," Dick blurted out, an innocent smile on his face as he looked up at Bruce from where he sat at the table. Jason was still of no help.

"Down here?" Bruce questioned, staring at his two sons as if that would magically reveal the answer.

"Yes. Peace and quiet. Tim's annoying," Jason said quickly, shrugging his shoulders as he did. "Dick is um... going over math... with me..."

"Jason, I know you're lying. What's really going on down here?" Bruce placed his hands on his hips as a stern mother might do.

"You're right, I was lying. It's actually history we're studying."

"Jason-"

"We're finishing up our plans to raid Eiling's warehouse in Gotham tonight to save the people he's holding captive," Dick finally said, not noticing the glare Jason gave him.

"And when exactly were you going to tell me about this?" Bruce asked.

"Never, actually," Jason admitted. "Cause we knew you would try to stop us."

Bruce didn't say anything, which basically meant he was confirming what Jason had just said. They were right, of course. Bruce would have never allowed them to do this themselves, even if they were adults now. He still felt protective of them. They were his responsibility still and he didn't want to see them dead anytime soon.

"Did Dr. Thompkins tell you about this warehouse?" 

Dick shook his head. "We heard about it when it was near Central City. We knew it moved and we've been watching it at night patrols. Flash and Arrow saved a few of the captives, but we know there's more. The place has been hella active."

"Did you talk to the Flash or Arrow?"

It was Jason's turn to shake his head. "No, never met them. Just here to clean up their mess."

Dick nudged Jason harshly in the side with his elbow in response.

"I'm going with you two tonight," Bruce declared.

"No, you're not!" Jason and Dick said at the same time.

"We have this. He'll be expecting Batman I bet. It's Gotham, everyone expects Batman. No one expects Nightwing or Red Hood, especially not them together! I've been working on this plan for days, we don't have time to incorporate the Dark Knight into the equation," Dick explained, annoyance in his voice.

"Why don't you watch comms and let us handle things for once," Jason agreed.

Bruce didn't like this plan one bit, but if there was one thing all four of his boys had in common, it was their inability to change their mind once they had made it up.

"Fine. But you better be careful."

* * *

Cisco cried out in pain as the orderlies pulled one of his molars out of his mouth with no anesthetic, just a pair of old pliers. His wrists were scarred from all the times he pulled on the restraints. He couldn't help it at this point; it was instinct. Tears ran down his face. A part of him deep down knew this was just showing the enemy his weakness, but the majority of him couldn't seem to care all that much. Everything hurt too much to care.

It had felt like he had been in this horrible place for years. He didn't actually know the exact amount of time Eiling had him, but he knew it couldn't have been that long. They would have found him by now.

Cisco actually wasn't so sure who "they" was anymore. He just knew that there were people somewhere who cared for him and were looking to rescue him from Eiling's grasp. He couldn't really remember names, except Hartley. He was sure he would never forget Hartley. Where was he anyway? The kind nurse had always told him Hartley wasn't here right now, but she never said where Hartley was. He had to be okay, though, because Cisco would have known if he had died. He would have felt it.

"General, hasn't this gone on far enough?" an exasperated voice sounded through the noise of Cisco's screams and the ever-lasting vibrating that went through his mind these days.

"Nurse-"

"No, no! I am a doctor and you know that! I will not keep this charade up any longer. Release this boy! Now!"

There was silence. They had stopped driving nails under his fingernails, much to his delight and relief. Cisco took a deep breath to try and calm himself down. It wasn't working as well as he was hoping it would.

"Thompkins, you're out of line," General Eiling said in an almost calm manner. Cisco knew better. G-d, did he know better.

"You're in Gotham now, Eiling. Things don't slide as they do back home. You don't have just do-gooder Flash to worry about anymore. Batman and Robin are here. So are Nightwing and Red Hood. Red Hood isn't nearly as patient as Arrow. He shoots first, asks questions later."

Cisco tried to crane his head to see what was happening. Was the nurse- doctor now, he supposed- going to die because of him?

"No, please. Stop! No!" Cisco moaned softly. The nice woman gave him a kind look, but put a finger to her lip to tell him to be quiet. She was fighting her own fight, it seemed. That didn't make Cisco any less nervous for her.

Eiling, in response to Dr. Thompkins' speech, grabbed her by the throat, and strangled her.

"No, no, no! Stop! Ella lo siente, lo siente, ¡por favor!" Cisco cried out loudly, causing an orderly smack him roughly across the face. _She's sorry, she's sorry, please!_

"Shut up, freak," the orderly spat.

Dr. Thompkins choked against Eiling's grasp for a few more seconds before releasing her, letting her fall limply to the floor to try and catch her breath. Cisco tried once more to break through the restraints, but all that earned him was another harsh smack.

"Next time you raise your voice to be, _nurse_ , I will kill you and make Vibe watch."

Cisco cried for the nice lady. She didn't deserve to be hurt because of him. This was all his fault.

"Now that that's settled," Eiling said, straightening the cuffs of his military uniform. "We're gonna test out it's hearing."

Cisco didn't know what that exactly entailed, but as he watched guards drag the nice doctor out of the room and the orderlies and General leave, his stomach knotted. Suddenly, over the loudspeakers installed in the room, a sharp, high noise sounded making Cisco scream in pain. He wiggled on the table he was strapped down, wanting desperately to cover his ears with his hands. The sounds and vibrations were causing him more pain than the tooth or the nails under his nail beds. He could feel blood dripping out of his nose and ears and the familiar feeling of a Vibe.

* * *

_Cisco blinked past the flashing blue lights of the Vibe to see two men. He didn't recognize them. One was taller than the other by quite a few inches (the shorter man was still taller than Cisco, he noted), but they both had black hair. The taller one, however, did have a streak of white in his hair. Maybe they were brothers, Cisco thought. They were in a room that Cisco also didn't recognize. It was almost like a tactical room or a storage room. There were a lot of crates that had Wayne Enterprises printed on them in white paint. Cisco couldn't think of any Waynes off the top of his head._

_"Okay, so here it goes," the shorter man started, leaning back in the chair he sat in. "I go in first, disable the security. You cover me. We get those people out of there. I got my Escrima sticks and a couple of Batarangs. You have your guns. I don't care how we get through if you catch my drift."_

_Cisco didn't "catch his drift" but the other man must have because he nodded. "Got it. Bruce is on comms and you and I both know he won't mess it up. We're getting those people out of there."_

_"Hey, remember when Bruce mentioned Dr. Thompkins?"_

_The taller man nodded once more._

_"What if she's there? I mean, I know she came over, but when I call her cell it goes to voice mail," the shorter, more agile-looking man stated. "What if she's hurt?"_

_"Then we'll get her out of there."_

_Cisco knew he had heard the name Thompkins before. Wasn't that the name of the nice nurse who spoke Spanish to him? If these two men were coming to rescue her, then maybe that meant they would find him too._

_"Tonight's the night," the taller man chuckled darkly before Cisco was trusted out of the Vibe._

* * *

Night had fallen upon the city of Gotham. The streets were still filled with cars despite it being rather late to still be out, but that was just what it was like in big cities. Nightwing and Red Hood knew that better than anyone. The two vigilantes were currently watching a warehouse from the roof of a building directly next to it. The distance was so short they could have jumped to get to the next building. Which they fully planned to do.

"I'm not seeing a lot of heat signatures," came the voice from the comm in both their ears. 

"It's now or never," Red Hood agreed, looking at Nightwing for confirmation.

"Let's go."

The two men took a running start before jumping onto the roof of the building they were targeting. Nightwing had studied the building's architecture obsessively and knew exactly where the vent he planned on entering through was. Nodding slightly to Red Hood, he quickly unscrewed the vent's cover and slipped in.

"I'm in the vent. Red Hood, when I give you the signal, come in through the window we discussed," Nightwing said as he crawled down through the venting. He was less broad than Red Hood and was able to fit down the vent. They already knew Red Hood wouldn't fit.

"Copy that," Red Hood confirmed, getting ready to enter the window.

Meanwhile, Nightwing had found himself in the hallway. He was close to the security room. Nightwing walked carefully down the hall, the direction memorized. He quickly found the security station. There was no one in there. He couldn't help but laugh at their stupidity. 

Slipping in, he quickly hacked their programming, shutting down all their electronic security measures.

"Red Hood, now."

The window in the security room suddenly broke as the man came flying in. Nightwing couldn't help but cringe at the loud noise, though no one came running.

"Sorry," Red Hood said in a tone that didn't convey any remorse.

Nightwing ignored him. "We go down that hall I came in through and we find where they're keeping them."

"I don't think there's more than one," Bruce said from the comms.

"What do you mean?" Nightwing questioned.

"There's only one heat signature not moving around. I think they only have one prisoner."

Red Hood nodded. "Okay, then we get the one person."

Bruce grunted in agreement and the two were off.

* * *

Cisco woke up in the cell again. It was so cold. He tried to rub his arms to get warmth into his body but it didn't help.

He also noticed there were no lights on. There was always a light on in his cell. But right now there wasn't one and that worried him. What was going on? Where was the nice doctor?

There were footsteps coming towards him. They sounded like they were running. Cisco pushed his body into the corner, his knees drawn up towards his chest. Were they coming back to hurt him? They had already hurt him very badly and he didn't know if he would survive another session, especially since Eiling was mad at the nice doctor.

He could hear the door being unlocked and his body began to shake uncontrollably. He couldn't help it, but he wished it would stop. The door opened, hitting against the wall as it did.

"In here," a voice said. Cisco didn't look up. He didn't want to look at them and let them see his eyes that were full of fear. It was hard to hear the voices. One of his ears sounded like it wasn't quite working as it should.

"Oh, G-d," a second voice said softly.

"Hey, what's your name?" the first voice said in a calming manner."You're okay, we're here to rescue you."

Cisco didn't look up. This had to be a trick. He knew what he had seen in the Vibe, but it couldn't possibly be happening. This was a trick. It had to be.

"It's okay, c'mon, we're gonna get you outta here," the voice said again. Cisco could sense that the person was slowly approaching him.

"Dick, we gotta go-"

"Just a second," the first voice hissed back. "Please, kid, we gotta go."

Cisco finally looked up. It was two men wearing masks and outfits like ones he remembered seeing a long time ago. The man in the black and blue uniform was closest to him. There was a small smile on his face. The other man wore a mask that prevented Cisco from seeing any part of his face, so he wasn't sure if he was smiling.

"Please," Cisco said in a shaky voice. English was still very difficult. He had to focus on it very hard.

"Yeah, we're getting out of here, c'mon," the man said, still smiling. He reached his hand out towards Cisco. He was still shaking slightly, but he carefully grabbed the man's hand and let him pull him to his feet.

"Can you walk?"

Cisco nodded in response, letting the man lead him out of the cell.

"No sign of Thompkins," the taller man said to the one holding on to Cisco to make sure he didn't fall. "Eiling either."

Cisco's blood ran cold at the sound of Eiling's name. "No Eiling, por favor, seré bueno, ¡no más experimentos!" _No Eiling, please. I'll be good, no more experiments!_

"Hey, hey, hey, it's okay," the man said, grasping Cisco's shoulders. "We won't let him hurt you ever again."

Cisco tried to take a deep breath to calm down like the nice doctor had taught him, but it was hard.

"Nightwing, we have company," the taller man interrupted.

They looked down the hall to see Eiling along with a couple of guards. Cisco started to shake again. Nightwing, that was his name, pushed Cisco behind him to protect him.

"You boys aren't the first to try and get their hands on this Meta," Eiling informed a smug smile on his face.

"He's coming with us, Eiling," the taller man said, his handguns firmly in his grasp. "We're not letting you get away with this anymore."

Eiling laughed in response. "You will fail."

"We'll see about that," Nightwing replied.

Then everything was very loud. Cisco pressed his hands against his ears. There were loud gunshots and yelling. He closed his eyes and didn't open them until the noise stopped. What he was met with was Eiling on the ground; dead.

"Oh... oh," Cisco cried, trying to get away from all the dead people on the ground. The two men were still alive. There was blood. A lot of blood.

"Hey, hey, c'mon, let's get out of here," Nightwing said, turning Cisco away from the mess. Red Hood followed suit, taking Cisco's other side as they walked down the halls and out of Cisco Ramon's personal hell.

Meanwhile, in Central City, the team continued to search for their lost friend, fearing the worst had happened to him.


	12. The Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here we are! The end! Well, not really, since there will be a sequel lmao, but this is where I'm ending this fic. Thank you so much for reading and leaving nice comments! It means the world to me! I look forward to seeing you guys for the sequel!!!

> “I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.”
> 
> _\- Jane Eyre, Jane Eyre_

* * *

When Alfred Pennyworth woke up the morning after Dick and Jason had infiltrated Eiling's Meta-human base (an event he had no knowledge about), he assumed Master Bruce had adopted another child without telling him first. 

This, he would soon find out, was a pretty accurate assumption on his part.

The room next to Master Dick's that was usually empty had the door opened just enough to let the hall's light in. When Alfred peaked his head into the room, he noticed a figure sleeping fitfully on the bed. He did not enter, simply walked away with a plan in mind to talk to Master Bruce when he awoke. That is exactly what he did.

"Master Bruce, I see we have a guest," Alfred stated as he placed Bruce's morning coffee on the table in front of him, where he was reading the morning paper. Bruce grunted in response.

"How long will they be staying with us?" Alfred continued, now placing the plate of eggs and bacon onto the table.

"I don't know, Alfred. For a while. We gotta find his family. We were just lucky he passed out on the way here, so Dick could get him into bed without any struggle," Bruce took a sip of coffee and flipped the page of his newspaper.

"Who is he, exactly?" Alfred questioned.

"He's just a kid... a kid they had locked up like an animal. I don't even know his name. They called him Vibe."

As if summoned by the name, the new resident of Wayne Manor entered the kitchen, Dick next to him in a protective manner. Alfred was finally able to get a good look at the kid. It was a boy, perhaps a teenager and rather short. Extremely skinny, he noted. He would have to get some food into him. He had long black hair that was in a terrible state. His brown eyes didn't meet anyone's, instead, they looked down to his feet, which had a clean pair of socks on them. This seemed to confuse him. Everything did, the kitchen, the people, the fact he was wearing Dick's old clothes he had outgrown; a blue T-shirt and a pair of gray sweatpants with the cuffs rolled up so he didn't trip on them. There was a lot of bruising on his face and he could use a nice hot shower and perhaps a haircut. He had his arms folded as if to try and hide something that was on them. Alfred decided not to ask about it right then.

"I don't know his name. He won't tell me," Dick informed, assuming correctly that that was what everyone had on their minds currently. "Or his age. Or where he's from."

Bruce nodded understandingly. "I assumed so. He's been through a lot. We don't know how long he's been there. Weeks? Years? His whole life?"

The kid, for his part, was not saying anything, just staring at his feet as if waiting for someone to hit him.

"You must be hungry," Alfred said to him. It took the kid a moment to realize that he was talking to him.

"Oh, no, Sir," he said, shaking his head in an unconvincing way. "No."

Dick frowned at the way he struggled with his words like it was taking a great deal of concentration for them to come out correctly. "Do you know English?"

He didn't say it in a rude or harsh way, but a kind way like a teacher might talk to a small child.

The kid nodded rapidly. "It... um..."

He stopped, most likely realizing that he wasn't really proving that he knew English. He looked down at his feet again.

"¿Tiene alguna alergia alimentaria?" Dick asked. _Do you have any food allergies?_

"No," the kid answered.

Dick relayed the information back to Bruce and Alfred.

Alfred nodded and went to work.

* * *

Everything in this new place was strange. He was given a comfortable bed to sleep in and a change of clothes that were warm. People were nice to him and he had yet to be hit or strapped down to a table and cut into. They asked if he was hungry and didn't mind that English was still difficult for him. Eiling always got mad when he spoke in Spanish, but he couldn't help it.

They had also removed his collar while he slept. He wasn't sure why they would do this. It was there for when he disobeyed. Did they have other methods to make him behave here?

However, just because these new people were nice didn't mean he was letting his guard down. They wanted to know his name, but he didn't want to tell them. Eiling referred to him as Vibe or Inmate 287738. It was branded on him forever, after all. Maybe this was a test. To see if he would behave and tell them the names Eiling called him, not his legal name. He knew it, though. He said it every night before he slept.

_My name is Cisco Ramon and I'm a human being._

He didn't want to forget, no matter what.

* * *

The men from his Vibe were here, but the nice doctor wasn't. They must have not found her and that worried him. She was so nice and maybe she knew where Hartley was. Cisco missed Hartley very much. The men-he knew the shorter one's name, Dick- seemed nice enough. There were other people here too and he wasn't sure who was a prisoner and who was a guard. The man they called Bruce had to be in charge, the older man who made him breakfast called him Master. Maybe Cisco was supposed to call him Master too. He wasn't sure. The man looked at him when he thought Cisco didn't notice, but the looks were never mean. This just made Cisco more confused.

Dick was very kind. He spoke softly, which helped since his hearing was still messed up. He didn't touch Cisco unless he gave him permission, and he usually spoke to him in Spanish. Just like the nice doctor lady. There were three other people, all of them male. The man with white in his hair was there. He didn't talk to Cisco much, but he gave him the same kind of looks Bruce did. The other two were younger than him, that he knew. One was a teenager and named Tim. Tim asked a lot of questions, like who Cisco was and what was wrong with him. Jason- that was the one with white hair- always told him to shut up. Then there was Damien, the youngest. He didn't even look at Cisco. He assumed the younger one didn't like him very much. He wasn't worried though, since the child was only about ten or eleven. Cisco was sure he could take him down if need be.

They were all at the breakfast table the morning after his escape and Cisco wasn't sure how to proceed. They told him to sit at the table with everyone else, which confused him. He never ate with anyone else when Eiling was there. He always ate alone and on the ground. He didn't want to make them angry, though, so he sat on the edge of the seat between Bruce and Dick. Dick was giving him small smiles to try and cheer him up. Cisco assumed he must have looked sad. He felt sad, at least.

Secondly, the man called Alfred gave him too much food. He never got this much food ever. There were bread and eggs and bacon and orange juice. Cisco only ever got a small sandwich (or soup if they knew he was vomiting after procedures) and water. There was so much and it was a bit overwhelming. He did the deep breaths that the nice doctor had taught him, in and out, in and out. There was a fork laying next to the table. Cisco never got forks. Only spoons when he was given soup. He grabbed it with his right hand, noticing instantly it was shaking rapidly, much worse than usual due to the stress he was under. He gripped his left hand around his right wrist to try and stabilize his grip but it didn't do much good.

"What's wrong with your hand?" Tim blurted out with a mouthful of toast. Jason, who sat next to him, smacked him in the back of the head. Cisco noted not to ask questions out of turn so he wouldn't be hit either.

"Tim, mind your business," Bruce said, not looked away from Cisco.

Cisco could feel his cheeks heat up. Why did everything have to be so different? Why couldn't they just lock him in a cell and let him eat a stale sandwich on the ground? This was just confusing. What if this was a test? Was he failing?

"Hammer," Cisco said, focusing on his words very carefully, his eyes in the general direction of Tim as he spoke. "Angry... hammer."

That was enough for everyone to pause eating, even Damien, who didn't seem to care all that much about Cisco's presence.

Dick was the one to break the silence. "Was it... was it Eiling who did that?"

Cisco nodded, his eyes now looking down at the plate that still had too much food on it. For the first time ever, Cisco wished he was still in that damned cell.

* * *

"-Army General Wade Eiling had been found dead. Police still have no leads-"

"Iris, rewind the TV!" Barry shot up from his seat at the kitchen table of Joe's house. Iris rewinded without question.

"-Army General Wade Eiling had been found dead."

"I gotta call the team," Barry said, quickly pulling his phone out of his pocket.

If Eiling was dead, that meant Cisco was free, right? But if Cisco was free, he would be alone. What if he didn't know how to get home or he was too far away to even know where he was? What if he was hurt.

Barry had to find him fast.

* * *

Hartley switched the TV off. His phone rang out and he knew it was Barry before he even saw the caller ID.

Eiling was dead.

Was Cisco too?

And if he wasn't, was he hurt? Was he on the streets?

Hartley didn't have the answers to any of his questions. He only hoped that somewhere Cisco was out there alive and someone not evil was taking care of him.

He also wondered if people like that even existed anymore. He doubted it.


End file.
